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Since its release, elpixo's CurveBot [$1.99] has drawn comparisons to QiX, an arcade hit from Taito that's been around since 1981. It's a fair comparison — QiX is obviously one of CurveBot's major inspirations — but let's not extend the analogy too far. CurveBot is more than a modernization of an arcade classic. It's its own game, with its very own set of perks and problems.

Both games are about carving away pieces of the field of play until you reach a predetermined percentage, but CurveBot pulls way back from the top-down camera of its predecessor, giving you a third-person view to trail the drill-bot you control as you slice away sections of the world. And dismantling the game's ultra-destructible environments isn't about timidly boxing off square chunks of territory – as the title implies, you'll be sweeping up great curvy swathes of land instead.

In each of the game's 60 levels, you need to cut away at least 80% of the field of play. Complicating these tasks are a few friends and foes. Firey Friends need to be freed from the confines of the level, but they can't be split up. If a level has more than one you aren't permitted to cut between them. Drones aren't friendly – they'll dive across your line and interrupt it before you can complete a slice. Coins can help with the drone problem. Cut out a section of ground containing a coin and you'll get a power-up that might freeze the drones or let you corral them.

But it's the cutting mechanic that sets CurveBot apart. It feels fantastic. There are a few reasons for this — the game's shiny graphics and high framerate play a part, but the main thing is the precision. You're in full control of the bot's movements while you're cutting, so you can feel free to chop out any curvy designs you want. The controls are perfect, too. Hold either side of the screen to travel in that direction, and tap both sides of the screen to leave the edges of the level and start slicing. Once you're off, you can tap both again to boost if you've managed to earn a Boost Ball or two.

You can get through all the levels by slicing away at the bare minimum, but that's not going to win you any high scores or achievements. To impress, you'll need to increase your percentage, take out the drones, and do it all without losing your tail. Your tail grows when you complete a cut, and it functions as a score modifier, but you can lose it all by crashing into drones or Fireys. Once you master your high score, each of the game's 10 worlds also has a meta-goal to earn, like averaging higher than 90% cutout, or completing the whole world in under 5 minutes. These translate to Game Center achievements.

While I've had a lot of fun with CurveBot, my experience hasn't been problem-free. The biggest offense is the difficulty curve. The game is frightfully easy for far too long. When it finally does get difficult, it does so in a frustrating way. The drones get more and more vicious, until they're throwing themselves at your bot as soon as it leaves the edges. The camera multiplies this problem, because you can't see the drones crossing the path behind you. If you plan badly, you can get into a situation where you're carving the level down half a percentage at a time. This wouldn't be so bad if you could restart a given level. Instead you're limited to replaying a whole world — an issue that also pops up if you have to restart the game at any point.

On the whole, though, CurveBot is a lot of fun. It's rare to find a game that embraces such an enjoyable mechanic. Check it out – and stop by our discussion thread when you do.

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This past October, the development duo of Pixelbite and Polarbit brought us Reckless Racing [99¢/Lite/HD], a top-down racer with beautiful graphics and fun arcade-style physics that we really enjoyed in our review. Then last week, the developers announced a follow-up title to Reckless Racing titled Reckless Getaway [$2.99], a game with a similar visual style and floaty physics system but with a focus on escaping capture from the police while causing a ton of collateral damage along the way. The developers had stated that Reckless Getaway was inspired by classic titles like Spyhunter and the Burnout series, and you definitely could see that inspiration in the trailer for the game.

Though there was no release date announced along with the trailer last week, we were pleasantly surprised to see Reckless Getaway show up in the App Store later that day. After spending a good amount of time with the game, and even talking about it on our most recent podcast, I’m really pleased to report that Pixelbite and Polarbit have succeeded in bringing some of the best aspects of Reckless Racing into Reckless Getaway while offering a very different gameplay experience. There are a couple of quirks here and there, and an extra dose of content couldn’t hurt, but for the most part Reckless Getaway is an intense arcade experience with a ton of replay value that’s easy enough for anybody to pick up and have a great time with.

There’s really no story to speak of in Reckless Getaway, but all you’ll need to know is that you’re the driver of a getaway car following a robbery and you must evade a police pursuit on the way to the end of each of the game’s 16 levels. There’s no gassing or braking to worry about, as the game handles this part for you. The only thing you’re responsible for controlling is the left and right steering, either by tilt or arrow buttons on either side of the screen. During your getaway, you’ll earn points for a myriad of activities, including driving against traffic, collecting coins, launching off one of the many jumps carefully placed in the terrain, and of course for getting the cops off your tail. As you earn points for these actions, a set of 4 stars will slowly fill at the top of the screen, and your score is based on how many stars are filled by the time you cross the finish line.

It’s in this star rating system that Reckless Getaway gets its replay value, but also where it limits its accessibility. Just getting from the beginning to the end of a level isn’t too difficult, but earning enough points along the way in order to gain 4 stars is a real challenge that will require many replays of a level as well as memorization of where the different point-earning items are. On one hand, I really like this aspect of the game as it forces you to pay attention to the details of a level and rewards you for making a clean and efficient getaway.

On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of how unlocking new levels depends on earning a certain amount of stars, and since it can be pretty hard to earn stars you’ll likely be stuck replaying the same sets of levels many times before finally unlocking more levels later in the game. It’s not a huge issue, but I’d appreciate a more forgiving way to see the advanced levels in the game, and then have the option to go back and earn 4 stars on previous levels if I choose to. As it is now, sometimes I feel forced to perfect a level even if I’m not ready to just to earn an extra star or two to keep progressing in the game.

The thing that makes the odd progression structure easy to forgive is that Reckless Getaway is just damn fun to play. Just about every playthrough of a level feels like a high-octane chase scene from an action flick. The floaty physics and touchy steering ensure that you’ll pinball off of traffic and the many hazards in the terrain, making for plenty of memorable moments. The handling is about as far from a simulation game as you can get, but this actually benefits the arcade nature of the gameplay. One thing Reckless Getaway could really benefit from is some sort of endless or freeplay mode where you could just drive fast and cause destruction to your heart’s content.

For such a simple arcade game, Reckless Getaway actually contains quite a bit of depth and strategy in obtaining every star. If you’re just looking for some mindless vehicular mayhem, then it delivers that in spades as well. Those looking for a more traditional racing game may choose to stick with Reckless Racing, or hang around for the proper sequel Reckless Racing 2 which has Pixelbite has confirmed is already in progress. Players in our forums have had tons of positive things to say about the game, and for some high-action arcadey gameplay Reckless Getaway is one to check out.

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Divine Robot's Blobster [99¢ / HD] is a physics-platformer tasking you with stretching and flicking a blobbish creature across various levels in Blobtopia in order to thwart the evil polluting efforts of Blobzilla and the rest of the Big and Powerful Corporation. Along the way, you'll need to collect gems and dodge evil blobs bent on getting in the way of your victory. The plot isn't going to win any awards, but you get the point — it's a platformer, not the next great American novel.

As far as the platforming is concerned, Blobster gets its controls and influences right. Control is handled by tapping the left or right side of the screen and slingshotting by touching and dragging a direction to jump. There is also a tilt control option if that's more your thing. Across the game's forty levels you'll run into familiar platforming concepts, from springs and spikes to gears and shields, Blobster doesn't exactly offer up any new ideas, but it executes its mechanics well. Besides simply traversing and surviving a level, you'll also need to capture gems in order to unlock bonus levels. It also tosses in a few completely physics-based puzzle sections, including at least one level that's clearly a nod to Angry Birds.

No matter how solid the mechanics and controls are, a solid platformer boils down to level design and Blobster manages to nail it most of the time. The majority of the early levels can be cranked through in under a minute or so, but they get progressively longer as the game goes on. For the most part, the difficulty curve keeps the game interesting throughout, but it also means it introduces and discards mechanics so quickly you'll often find yourself wondering where your favorite power-up disappeared to.

One of those mechanics is the life preserver, which lets you explore underwater. It essentially flips the game upside down because you're continually floating to the top and you have to platform accordingly, hitting the underside of platforms instead of the top. It's a nice twist to the gameplay and they could have probably built an entire game based on this concept alone. It's also a bit off that at the start, the game seems to put importance on collecting plus-sign pieces to make Blobster grow and jump higher, but even though it seems like the core shtick, it comes and goes throughout the game.

What doesn't go away is the collection system, where you'll be picking up gems along the way to finishing each level. You'll need to complete each section with a certain collection score to unlock bonus levels and raise your score on the leaderboards. As you'd expect, the collection part of the game is nearly a game unto itself and you'll mostly be able to ignore or obsess over it depending on your disposition.  That said, if you snatch up 75 percent of the gems, you'll unlock a survival mode that tasks you with staying alive and in the air as long as possible — a sort of Doodle Jump-alike that could have probably been its own thing in a different universe.

The easiest complaint to log against Blobster is the sound design. There isn't any music in the game, which isn't that big of a deal because you'll have it on mute within ten seconds of the first level. I'm not sure what exactly they were thinking, but the sound that comes out of Blobster is something out of an educational '80s DOS game and will drive you insane within seconds. Visually, Blobster animates and moves well, but despite the name and the bright colors, Blobtopia isn't as interesting as it sounds. It's not bad by any means, but it's not going to turn heads based on aesthetics alone.

Thankfully, the gameplay sets the pace better than the sound or visuals and if you're itching for a familiar but kitschy platformer, you'll certainly find one here. Its biggest strength and weakness is in its diversity and although it'd be nice if it took a little more time with its more innovative mechanics, the fact most every level is wholly its own is a decent trade-off, even if it does feel like some great ideas get left behind.

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The latest third person shooter from Gameloft is named 9mm [$6.99] and comes with an age restriction (17+) on the App Store for containing sexual content, realistic violence, frequent alcohol and drug use references, profanity and suggestive themes. It's gritty and naughty, with drug-dealers, crooked cops, guns, strippers and narrated dialog sprinkled generously with the F-bomb. That's probably enough reasons for some of you to buy it immediately. Sometimes it's fun to play something with dark themes, but if you object to swear-words or prefer pretty rainbows and ponies, this is not the game for you.

In the single player campaign, you control John "Loose" Kannon (*groan*), a corrupt narcotics detective, who kills a drug lord's brother and steals millions in cash. This sparks a bullet-fueled rampage as you take down gang members, while trying to avoid being capped yourself. At first glance this game resembles Grand Theft Auto [$9.99], or Gameloft's earlier title, Gangstar [$4.99], with a similar over-the-shoulder camera perspective, but it's actually more like Max Payne, with a linear storyline.

Rather than an open-world to roam with missions, there's set-pieces to complete as the story unfolds. Markers on the screen tell you where to go next and if you try to go elsewhere objects conveniently block your path, or a message suggests you remain on track. The single player campaign is split into 12 levels, which take roughly 3 hours to complete on easy mode for an average player. But don't worry, once the campaign's completed, you can either attempt a harder difficulty (easy, normal, hard and hardcore), or jump into the multi-player modes.

The title, '9mm', is a obvious reference to the caliber of bullet, so it's unsurprising that guns, bullets and killing play a central role. There's plenty of weapons in your arsenal, including hand-guns, shotguns, submachine guns, powerful assault rifles, and more. And if you miss with all of those, just get up close and personal with a head-butt. It's always satisfying to shoot two enemies with a single bullet and you can carry some weapons in both hands.

Completing levels, kills and achievements earns cash, which can be used to buy body armor, ammo or special weapons at the shop, including explosive ammo, for more impact. Game cash can be optionally brought with real money, as an in-app purchase, but isn't required. At the end of each level, statistics are shown, including number of bullets fired, enemies killed, head-shots achieved and trophies gained (achievements).

The graphics and cut-scene animations are great. There's a few graphical glitches, such as the odd floating body or enemy disappearing into a wall and a couple of characters aren't rendered as well as others, but this happens rarely, so it's more amusing than annoying. The iTunes description mentions "destructible environments" , however although you can shoot the bottles and boxes or shoot speakers to stop music playing, most items are not destructible. Trust me, I shot plenty of stuff.

The controls in 9mm are straightforward, and will be instantly familiar if you've played other similar Gameloft titles. Like Max Payne, you can enter slow-mo "bullet-time" , to pin-point shots and wipe out groups of gangsters, which is often a life-saver. If you swipe across the slo-mo button you'll dive in that direction, while firing in slow motion, providing your slow-mo meter is charged up by passing time and/or completing kills. Tilt controls can be used for aiming if you prefer. And auto-aiming can be disabled, if you enjoy handling your own weapons.

Big tappable icons appear on-screen to pickup weapons, kick down doors, climb out windows, talk to other characters or interact with objects. Simply tap the weapon icon to reload, or swipe to switch weapons. To interrogate gang members or informants, you tap quickly on words and icons which appear on the screen, but the interrogations are certainly not by-the-book and typically involve a bashing. Even the cut-scenes are sometimes interactive, requiring you to quickly tap or swipe to advance, such as swiping to dodge in a particular direction, at the right moment. I did notice the virtual stick could have been used for sprinting, removing the need for that button.

The soundtrack consists of actual licensed tracks from Freeway & Jake One, Beanie Sigel and Apathy, with the first two musicians making an in-game cameo appearance, in a strip-club scene. Be sure to play with headphones, as the game even has bits of 3D audio. On a few occasions, muffled music becomes clear once you kick a door down and you can hear the murmuring of people talking and moving around in the adjoining room, which creates a nice atmosphere and builds up tension prior to attacking.

Gameloft have historically been criticized for poor voice-overs, but 9mm does a reasonable job. The dialog and voice-overs are funny, with many cheesey-yet-entertaining cop lines like "It's raining bacon" as Detective Kannon jumps through a ceiling window to surprise the criminals below. Although, of course, I omitted the naughty curse words at the end of that quote.

The inclusion of two multiplayer modes was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. There's death-match and team death-match modes, which support up to 12 players (Wi-Fi or online) or two players via bluetooth. You choose the time limit, frag limit and number of players. Online play requires a free Gameloft Live account and all online progress is stored on Gameloft's servers, so it's not lost if you delete the game.

Some forum members have complained of lag when many players are involved, however jerkiness is evident even when playing alone on WiFi Multiplayer mode. Others have mentioned that spawn deaths occur too frequently, as other players shoot you when you re-appear. And with leveled up players having better weapons, there's an incentive to quickly upgrade your arsenal, so you can do the same thing to other players. Despite these potential drawbacks, the players in the thread seem to be enjoying the multi-player mode, with positive comments about the large size of the four multiplayer maps.

9mm is a universal game, so you can install it on your iPad and iPhone, without paying twice, which is always appreciated. The installed file size is just over 1.3 GB, so it's a bigger game than most, but is totally worth clearing out space on your iOS device for– Especially if you're a fan of Max Payne.

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If you’ve ever played a little game called Culdcept Saga, or dialed even further back to the days when Magic: The Gathering first hit its stride (when you used real cards and played with people across a table in the same room! Wow!), you’ll feel a warm and familiar rush the moment you lay your eyes on Orions 2 [$2.99 / Lite]. Or maybe it’s just that you played the first Orions [99¢] back in the day, which had a fairly strong fanbase. And now here we have the sequel, with even more of the addictive card-based gameplay that made the first game a fan favorite.

In Orions 2, you take the role of a Deckmaster, navigating an overworld map between lands called Orions to traverse your way between card battles. As you conquer the Orion Lords, you’ll gain more territory, which will come in pretty handy in your quest for world … card domination.

The heart of Orions 2 is the card battling, of course. In the campaign, this is played out on a board that allows you slots for five cards to be played at a time. You’ll start your game with elemental decks such as Fire, Water and Air. Some contain monsters to summon and some contain spells, and you’ll need to learn how it all works and use it to your advantage if you hope to win some battles. Luckily, a double tap on any card will allow you to examine it closely and learn more about what it does.

On this board, placement matters. Your enemy’s cards and your cards are directly lined up with one another. The cards played represent a barrier between your hitpoints and the enemy, so as long as you have cards down, they do the work for you. Once there’s an empty slot, however, the attacks land on your total hitpoints, and once this happens, death can come fast. Each card has an attack power, a defense power, and a casting power, which you’ll need to make sure you can afford. It’s a lot like the mana system in Magic: The Gathering, in fact.

When it’s time to upgrade your deck, you can retreat to your home Orion to do so. You can also erect buildings and other structures there, which can help you to generate more money by converting sunlight into crystals. This adds a nice extra dimension to the gameplay and allows you to balance your attention between card fights and boosting your own land.

If you get tired at grinding away at the campaign, you can also use Orions 2’s Gamecenter compatibility to engage in the duel feature and fight against real opponents. There are also items to be unlocked in the campaign, which you can see in a gallery. Overall, there’s lots of gameplay to be had here, and it certainly requires more brain power than your average iOS platformer.

Fans of Puzzle Quest and Magic: The Gathering will likely find Orions 2’s gameplay pretty irresistible. The learning curve is a bit steeper than the aforementioned titles, but after a few rounds with the card battles, you’ll find yourself right at home.

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Back in May, Crescent Moon Games announced Deadlock, a dual-stick shooter built around the idea of competitive online play, and released a brief teaser video showing off a small portion of the gameplay. It looked promising, and in fact, Crescent Moon isn’t acting alone on this release as Invulse Games is responsible for most of the production and Pocket RPG [$2.99] developer Tasty Poison Games has a hand in some of the artwork as well.

In brief, Deadlock's focus is online multiplayer for up to 8 players with deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture & hold gameplay types. It will ship with 5 maps to start, with more planned for down the line, and a large assortment of weaponry and equipment which you can unlock and equip on your character as you level up and earn the 30 ranks in the game. For the shy gamers, you’ll be able to play a survival mode as well as a mode against computer AI bots if you wish, but really, Deadlock is made for battling it out online.

Today, Josh Presseisen from Crescent Moon has sent us a new hands-on video of Deadlock with a bit of commentary to go with it. Have a look at the video for yourself as the sultry sound of Josh’s voice penetrates your ears:

The biggest bit of news that accompanies this hands-on video is that Deadlock will be launching this Thursday the 21st, and it will be launching for free. That’s right, for free. The developer’s understand that the best way to get a good community going for an online multiplayer game is to set the barrier for entry as low as possible, basically inviting anybody to give Deadlock a try. Now, don’t get too excited, as the length of time that Deadlock will be free isn’t set in stone. It very well may convert to a paid app sometime after launch, so if you’re interested in the game at all it would be best to download as soon as it’s available this Thursday.

We’ve been toying around with preview copies of Deadlock for months now, but we’re pretty excited to try out the game when there’s actually a decent pool of players online. And based on the comments in our forums, there’s plenty of people ready to get their frag on as well. We’ll be sure to take a closer look at the final version of Deadlock when it launches later this week.

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Last October, one man indie developer Owens Rodriguez released Alien Space [$1.99/Lite], a dual-stick shooter set in – where else? – space. It’s not easy releasing a new game into a genre that is literally flooded with great games, but Alien Space managed to hold its own against the competition with excellent controls, interesting enemies, cool weapons, and a great upgrade system; and it had a fairly loyal following of fans in our forums.

Shortly after the release of Alien Space, Owens started kicking around the idea of creating an alternate version of the game that was based around a retro arcade look rather than the contemporary space setting of the original. We took a peek at an early version of this project back at Macworld in January, and after a slightly longer development cycle than was intended, Alien Space Retro [99¢] popped into the App Store just before this past weekend.

Alien Space Retro includes the same 30 campaign levels and survival mode from the original game, plus it has several new features beyond the slick retro graphics that are available as in-app purchases. There are 4 new weapons – 2 heavy and 2 light – that are available for 99¢ each, or all together as a pack for $1.99 which will also include any future additional IAP weapons for free.

Aside from the weapons, there is also a brand new game mode called Lost in Space available for a 99¢ IAP. In this mode there are no enemies or weapons, rather you are lost in an asteroid field with a heavily damaged ship where even the slightest collision will cause you to explode. Basically, you’re a 1976 Ford Pinto. To make matters worse, your energy level is constantly depleting as well, so you must be on the lookout for crystals dropped by asteroids colliding into each other in order to keep your energy level afloat.

The new Lost in Space mode is definitely my favorite part about Alien Space Retro. There is an entirely different strategy to dodging asteroids and the energy depletion factor ensures you’re constantly on your toes, in my case usually in a state of panic. If you aren’t the type that’s fond of IAP, the campaign and survival modes included in the initial price are excellent on their own, and provide a ton of gameplay. Just be aware that it isn’t a whole lot different than the original Alien Space, aside from the retro visuals.

That retro eye candy sure is nice though, with Retina Display support and more particle effects than you can shake a stick at. It’s also a universal app and plays wonderfully well on the iPhone or iPad. If you aren’t a fan of the retro look, and I know there are some of you out there, then consider picking up the original Alien Space if you haven’t already. If you were already a fan of the original game, then the new goodies in Alien Space Retro are certainly worth checking out, and players in our forums seem to be loving the game quite a bit as well.

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Connectrode [$0.99] has it rough. At a glance, you might mistake it for a match-3, and it ain't easy to stand out on the app store as a match-3 these days. It's probably even worse when you're an awesome puzzle game that just happens to look a bit too much like one.

So let's clear up that assumption. While there's a fair bit of color matching in Connectrode, there's no sliding or swapping to deal with, and no timers to beat. Instead, you're presented with a board of static, adorable computer chips. The only way to clear them off the board is to link them up with their matched partners, and to do that you're given a series of colored connectors. These connectors can link chips up with each other if you match their colors, but you can only place them in spaces that are in a clear path from the top. Close off a section of the board and you won't be placing anything into it until you clear some chips out of the way.

That one little limitation may not seem like much, but let me assure you — it is. If you give Connectrode less than your full attention, it's easy to slip up and place a connector somewhere that blocks off not only the connection you're trying to make, but, say, the whole lower half of the board. Coming back from that might be hard, or it might be impossible.

If you manage to clear an entire board, you're awarded a high score. This gets interesting, because the boards are randomly generated. Traditional leaderboards don't quite work for this set up, so Deep Plaid Games had to come up with a more creative way to share scores: when you complete a level, you can share your score with friends on Facebook or Twitter, and it includes a link that allows them to play a copy of your level. If you're a purist, though, the developer has mentioned on our forums that Game Center integration is on the to-do list, presumably for sharing your top score on each of the game's four difficulty modes.

In the meantime, you can spend some time perfecting your high scores. Earning streaks (clearing chips multiple turns in a row) gives you a nice bonus modifier, so you'll need to plan your line completion carefully to get the best possible score. You also earn bonuses for clearing more than two chips in a combo, and for clearing a color without leaving any single orphaned chips behind. Add all the factors together, and you'll find a game absolutely requires you to plan a few moves ahead if you want a score worth noticing.

Connectrode is everything I look for in a puzzle game. The game design is smart, and strikingly creative. As an added bonus, the art and interface are colorful and cute, and the music is quite cheery. If you like puzzle games that require strategy and thought, you'll definitely want to pick this one up.

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One of my very favorite games of the distant past is good ole' Lunar Lander. There's a certain beauty to the simple proposition there — it's just gravity and you. Lunar Lander, which got its start back in 1969, kicked off the cave-flyer genre that boasts many great games under its banner. iOS developer Polygon Play recently offered us an exclusive look at their upcoming iPad title, Lander Hero, that will join those proud ranks later this year.

Lander Hero brings a twist on the standard formula by incorporating puzzle-solving elements into the cave-flyer experience. The goal of the game is to navigate each labyrinthine level, from start point to end pad, collecting stars as you go — you need to have grabbed at least 50% of the stars on any level in order to advance to the next.  Along the way, you will encounter a number of obstacles that must be negotiated. These include moving boulders, I-beams, (tip: flammable) crates, force fields, bombs and the like. For example, a certain pathway cannot be travelled until you nudge a boulder rolling along a beam until its weight tips it out of your way. In addition to these challenges, your ship's fuel and damage levels are always working against you. Power-ups hidden about the caverns of each level must be found and collected to keep your ship in shape.

The game offers several different configurations of the on-screen touch controls, which are thrust-left, thrust-right, and thrust-down. In the beta build I'm playing with, clustered, one-hand controls are the default, but I find a two-handed button arrangement — thrust-left/right at the lower left, thrust-down at the lower right — much more to my liking. Having such simple controls, as cave-flyers often do, Lander Hero works just fine with the iPad's touchscreen.

Lander Hero really shines in the graphics department. The stylized rocky landscapes are bright, colorfully textured, and slide by as smooth as glass on the iPad 2 as you guide your ship along the twists and turns of each cavern. The whole scene, along with your cartoony ship and the little bespectacled scientist inside (there's apparently a backstory there), lend the game a whimsical feel. And the physics system, so critical in titles of the sort, is spot-on.

I've really enjoyed playing through the 13 finished levels in this beta, and am anxious to move through the rest of the 40+ levels (across two different worlds) that the initial App Store release will bring. The game is iPad-only, but the developer tells me he's considering bringing it to the iPhone, down the road. I'll be sure to let all the cave-flyer fans out there know when Lander Hero hits the App Store, sometime in late September.

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Crescent Moon Games' Pocket RPG [$2.99] got off to a bit of a rocky start on launch when it was released with some game killing bugs and pulled immediately from the store, but now those have been smoothed over, everyone with an iPad can freely stick an RPG in their giant pockets and take it for a spin. It's equal parts RPG, shooter and light-brawler depending on how you play and although it might seem shallow based on its name, it has a lot to offer.

Pocket RPG can be played with three different character classes, Dark Ranger, Battle Mage and Blade Master. Each has their own skill sets and each play completely differently. If you're looking for a more straight-up duel-stick shooter, the Dark Ranger is for you. If you're into hack-and-slash, go for the Blade Master and if you're looking for a strange combo of the two, go for the Battle Mage. Each character is well defined and changes the way you play the game on a fundamental level.

Each character class gets their own save file, one each. It's a bit confusing at first, because it will initially appear that you only get one save file across the game. As people have pointed out in our forums, the Resume button on the main screen will lead you to the most recently played character and if you select New Quest and another character, you'll continue where you were last at with that character, even though it gives you a warning your file will be overwritten. It's far too confusing of a system and needs to be cleaned up in future updates.

As an actual game, Pocket RPG delivers on its title. It's essentially a looting, mini-roguelike that plays similar to a dual-stick shooter. The main difference is your character's progression isn't tied to the game as a whole, but rather to each individual dungeon. You'll have certain power-ups and skills you upgrade over the course of the game, but after beating each dungeon, your experience points and loot disappears and you start all over again.

It's a strange system, but it works surprisingly well, albeit at the cost of incentivizing any hardcore loot hoarding. You won't get attached to any weapons, there isn't any real armor loot and you won't ever have to struggle with inventory management, but the games title should be enough of an indication this isn't a hardcore experience. As far as XP is concerned, you level up quickly in the later levels and it's hardly noticeable that you have to start over in each dungeon. It plays like an incredibly short roguelike. The one difference is that you'll usually pick up an item early in each dungeon that'll grant you a single extra life. If you die a couple times, you have to start the dungeon over.

The persistent upgrades you make to your character at the end of each dungeon are important and add enhancements to the character progression. You get these by bringing in gold and stars from each dungeon encounter, both successful and unsuccessful. Each character has their own set of skills and special moves controlled by different gestures. For instance, if you're playing as the Dark Ranger, you can add a skill that shoots out poison if you quadruple tap the right stick. It all works well and adds a feeling of character customization lost by the lack of persistent XP, but it would be nice if there was a move-list in-game in case you can't remember which gestures create which attacks.

As we've come to expect from Crescent Moon, the character designs are cutesy and cartoony. The environments are well thought out and almost everything on the ground is destructible for loot hoarding, which is a nice touch. Since the dungeons are partially randomly generated, you'll be able to play though multiple times with a new experience, but since each character plays so differently, it's more worth playing through with each of them once then with one of them multiple times. The dungeons are never overtly complex mazes either, there are a few forking paths throughout, but you'll rarely find yourself wishing there was a map.

There is quite a bit of content here too, with six different areas to explore and as many bosses. Despite it's seeming simplicity, the game can get pretty tough toward the midway point. It's not enough to send anyone home in tears, but chances are you'll have to repeat a few dungeons here and there to grind your skills up enough to beat the final boss.

Pocket RPG is a little different than you probably expect from a looting game, but that's not really a bad thing. It's bite-sized, but versatile, which means you get a lot of length out of it even if it's pretty simple to get through initially. RPG fans and dual-stick shooter fans will have a lot to love here and provided they can add a few tweaks to the menu system they'll have a remarkably solid game. For those looking to get the action into a reasonably sized pocket on iPhone or iPod Touch, Crescent Moon Games has said a new version will be available in around a months time.

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