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Surely by now everyone who reads TouchArcade should be familiar with lite versions of apps. Love 'em or hate 'em, until the advent of in-app purchase an entirely separate version of a game was the only way developers had to allow users to try their (often limited or restricted in some way) apps for free. With the release of iOS 3.0 developers now have the ability to use IAP as a means of offering a single app which is then paid for via an "unlock" of sorts. However, lite versions still remain remarkably prevalent.

We don't normally review lite versions of games, but this one is so confusing that I felt that it needed to be highlighted. Split Rail, developers of the game Face Mirror [Free] recently released Flash Lite 4 [99¢], apparently the lite version of Flash 4 which we're thinking is a yet to be released game based on the Fantastic 4, or possibly even the comic book character The Flash. Releasing a lite version before the full paid version of a game isn't unheard of, as Team Phobic did it with great success with Bounce On 2 [$3.99 / Lite].

Not much positive can be said about Flash Lite 4 other than the fact that it sports some ridiculously crisp Retina Display graphics. Once you load up the game, you're greeted with the Flash Lite 4 title screen that only seems to include a single slider switch which can be toggled on and off using a familiar swiping gesture.

Other than that, Flash Lite 4 is completely devoid of all gameplay. There isn't any story to speak of, no power-ups, unlocks, or achievements. In fact, I'd go as far as to say this is the absolute worst lite version of a game I've ever played in that it neither includes any taste of what the full version of the game is all about, but the developers also have the audacity to charge 99¢ for it.

Needless to say, I recommend steering clear of Flash Lite 4. Oddly enough, playing the game does have a somewhat unexpected side effect in that when you toggle the switch the LED on the iPhone 4 turns on and off, which has been surprisingly handy for finding my way around in the dark. Regardless, gameplay totally falls flat. Don't waste your time with this one.

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Originally released in Japan in summer of 1997, fellow North Americans would have to wait another half a year to get their hands on Final Fantasy Tactics, which is still regarded by many to be one of the best turn-based strategy games available. The game opens with a curious almost How I Met Your Mother story telling session where a historian tells you a tale of the past regarding the world of Ivalice, warriors, swords, swords, and stones. It's a little cliche by today's standards, it was just as amazing as all of Square's other RPG's when it was originally released.

Next, you're guided through a somewhat unconventional character creation process where you create your hero and choose a birthdate. It isn't immediately apparent, but the zodiac symbol that corresponds with that birthday actually plays a massive role in the game. (Arguably too massive.) Practically every action you take in battle can be either strengthened or weakened by what amounts to a game of zodiac game of rock paper scissors running in the background as some enemies are weak or strong to attacks that align with a certain sign.

With that out of the way, you're thrown into a tutorial battle where the game teaches you the basic mechanics that will be used throughout the rest of the game. In a nutshell, you learn about units having different movement ranges, how the active turn system works, and how you usually want to avoid attacking units from the front as you almost always do more damage attacking from the side or rear.

Final Fantasy Tactics is really a game of menu mastering. Menus and sub menus are everywhere that allow you to execute all kinds of strategies as units can be equipped differently and can hold different jobs which unlock new/varied abilities. The depth of all of these sub-systems is impressive, and while you can coast through the early parts of the game mostly ignoring them, actually completing Final Fantasy Tactics requires delving deep in to the job system.

I'm not entirely sure how much more of the gameplay is actually worth mentioning in this preview. Final Fantasy Tactics served as a fantastic foundation that has been imitated by countless other games. It combines all of the mechanics you'd expect in a Final Fantasy games such as magic, loot, and experience with a turn-based system that focuses the entire game on combat. There's "world map" but it really only serves as a cleverly disguised menu to get you to your next battle. Needless to say, if fighting is your least favorite part about Final Fantasy games, feel free to skip this one.

The controls of Final Fantasy Tactics work well, although it feels a little backwards that the X button cancels while the circle button confirms choices. Other than that, hitting triangle brings up the menu, and square allows you to move the camera around. Alternatively, hitting the L1/L2 and R1/R2 shoulder buttons allow you to tilt, rotate, an zoom the camera.

The save system in the game feels a little antiquated, in the modern age of cloud-based storage and all. Regardless, playing the game will require one block on your PlayStation memory card. It also will require a PlayStation itself, as who knows when this game will finally hit the App Store.

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With the nearly half a million apps on the App Store and a signal to noise ratio on par with a set of walky talkies purchased from a dollar store, instead of spending our time looking for games you'd actually want to spend your time playing, here are ten you should avoid at all costs:

10. Name That Fart, 99¢ – While the thought of fart-centric trivia may be appealing, not even the crisp Retina Display graphics makes this game worth considering. Gameplay consists of a ten question multiple choice quiz where you've got to identify signature farts such as the "lingerer" the "blupper" or even the "flutter blast." Upon completion of the quiz your score is displayed which sadly isn't uploaded to any kind of online leaderboard. We're hopeful for Game Center integration in future updates, but for now Name That Fart is safe to skip.

9. My Virtual Cat, 99¢ – It's clear to see where Hurrikane Technologies was trying to go with this virtual pet simulator. Utilizing Myst-like pre-rendered graphics, players must complete various tasks to take care of their virtual cat ranging from feeding it, playing with it, and even cleaning its litter box. A recent update added the playground locale, but we still recommend skipping this game as it ultimately fails at providing the personality that we feel a virtual pet game requires.

8. stickyStick, $94.99 – A puzzle matching game where players must tap the stick figures in the order that they appear. The game shows significant promise, but we recommend waiting for a price drop, as the current $94.99 price forces us to suggest that readers give stickyStick a pass for now.

7. 优惠券, Free – This appears to be some kind of text-based RPG that we've been unsuccessful in reviewing because no one at TouchArcade speaks Chinese. We assume 优惠券 has some kind of Barcode Battler but without knowing for sure, unfortunately we're going to need to skip 优惠券.

6. Annoing Neighbors, Free – The premise of Annoing Neighbors involves, well, annoing [sic] your neighbors. With gameplay similar to Angry Birds, you fling balls at boxes. We're hoping to see some additional character development implemented in future versions of Annoing Neighbors, but for now this game is safe to skip.

5. Button Trial Challenges by Zincous, 99¢ – What appears to be a typical "hello world" game is actually a not-so-cleverly disguised way to farm up Game Center achievement points. Clearly designed by someone who has gone absolutely mad with collecting video game achievements, Button Trial Challenges by Zincous will put your ability to hold and press virtual buttons to the test. Unfortunately, until online multiplayer or a single player campaign is added, I'm going to have to say… skip this one.

4. Doodle Bird, 99¢, – The iTunes description makes this game sounds like it helps you find your wife and children, of which it does neither. Instead, all we get is a poor Doodle Jump clone. Two words: False advertising. Additional word: SKIP!

3. Cat Translator, 99¢ – I've spent the past few years of my life wondering why my cat does the ridiculous things it does. Cat Translator seemed to provide some promise that I might finally unravel that mystery, but alas, it doesn't seem to work. (That, or my cat is just ignoring me as usual.) Either way, until we can confirm whether or not this actually does anything we recommend skipping this one.

2. Angry Turds, 99¢ – As much as I'd love this to be a witty play on the Angry Birds formula, it falls flat in just about every way imaginable. You play as a monkey, and angrily throw turds at pith helmet wearing adventurers. Totally skippable, unless the name Angry Turds makes you giggle.

1. Uggles, 99¢ – This game is about as captivating as tilting your phone to juggle furry little creatures called "uggles" could possibly be, that is to say, not at all. There are tons of different uggles to unlock, but doing so requires hours of mind-numbingly boring tilting back and forth as you juggle your uggles back and forth. If you like repetitive games, give Uggles a shot, otherwise… Skip it!

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Right smack in the middle of Macworld this past January, Liv Games released their first iOS title called Legendary Wars [99¢/Lite]. It’s a castle defense game similar to a plethora of other titles available in the App Store, but Legendary Wars made some smart design decisions that set itself apart from the rest. There are 3 different lanes to manage, which adds a layer of depth to the landscape as you send troops towards the enemy castle or deal with oncoming attacks. There are also a staggering number of different game types that afford a ton of variety to the gameplay. A full armory and upgrade system motivates you to keep on playing just one more game as you power up your offensive squad.

We were really surprised at just how much we enjoyed Legendary Wars in our review, and really the biggest negative we had was that the lovely artwork in the game didn’t support Retina Display resolution, and looked pretty fuzzy on those devices. Today Liv Games has rectified this by releasing an update that includes Retina Display graphics and a number of other goodies. Check out these comparison shots below to see just how big a difference the higher resolution art work makes in Legendary Wars (normal resolution on left, Retina resolution on right. Click to enlarge):

In addition to the Retina Display support, this update to Legendary Wars also includes Game Center integration with 50 achievements and 5 leaderboards for Endless modes. There’s also a brand new armory which unlocks upon completion of the Campaign, and several of the Hard and Legendary difficulty missions have been altered to be more balanced. There’s also a host of other bug fixes and the game has been optimized to load faster and run more smoothly across all devices.

This update comes after last month’s update which included a more casual-friendly control option and various other gameplay tweaks and balances. There is also a brand new lite version of Legendary Wars to try out which includes 7 exclusive levels not included in the regular version, and the full game is currently on sale for 99¢. An iPad native version is in the works too, and Liv Games is hoping to roll that out in mid-April barring any complications.

Players have been loving the game in the very active forum thread, and if you own Legendary Wars grab this latest update to check out the new high resolution graphics and Game Center, and if you haven't picked up the title already check out the lite version for a taste of the gameplay.

Note: A memory bug has crept into this update for owners of 4th generation iPod touch devices which can cause crashes when several titles are in the multitasking memory. Liv Games already has a fix for this which should be submitted this weekend. Until then you can avoid the problem by clearing apps out of multitasking, and an update to officially address the problem should be out soon.

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Back in January we learned that Remedy Entertainment, developers of Max Payne and Alan Wake, would be resurrecting their first ever PC game Death Rally for an iOS remake. Today, that new version of Death Rally [$4.99] went live in the App Store. I never played Death Rally when it came out in 1996, so my opinion of this remade version won’t be colored with knowledge of the original. Approaching it as strictly a new iOS title, Death Rally is one of the finest top-down racers in the App Store. Death Rally isn’t perfect mind you, but it’s an absolutely gorgeous title with satisfying combat-heavy racing and an engaging upgrade system.

The thing that sets Death Rally apart from most racers is its focus on combat. Each vehicle is equipped with a standard machine gun and a second stronger weapon of your choosing. These weapons, along with the vehicles beyond the first one, are unlocked by collecting items spread along the track while you’re racing. Money is earned with every race you enter, with more money awarded based on what place you finish, how many cars you destroy, and other performance factors. Your winnings go towards upgrading the 5 available vehicles in the game in the areas of speed, handling, armor, and weapons.

Upgrading your cars and equipment is the real hook of Death Rally, and I was constantly wanting to play just one more race so I could fill up some more of my upgrade bars. The combat is also very satisfying, and there’s nothing better than blowing the snot out of the car ahead of you in order to surpass them and win a race at the last moment. Controlling your vehicle is slightly awkward at first. A virtual control stick is used for both acceleration and turning, and there is no brake button. This isn’t really necessary due to the arcade nature of the gameplay, but it caught me off guard at first. After just a few minutes though, I quickly warmed up to the controls and actually grew to really like them.

Death Rally offers 5 different tracks to race on, which doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but the game does a good job of maximizing the variety in them. Each track has a reversed version, a rotated version, and a combination of both providing 20 variations of the same 5 courses. There are also several types of race variations, and in a clever design move you always have 6 races to choose from, with those 6 options refreshing after each race. This ensures that there’s always something interesting to choose from in addition to the standard 6 vehicle race.

The highlight of Death Rally is the fantastic visuals, with support for Retina Display devices and full screen anti-aliasing on the iPad 2. The levels are incredibly detailed, as are the vehicle models which display damage during the course of a race. When a race is finished you’ll get a close up view of your damaged vehicle in your garage and can watch it morph back to life when you repair it using your winnings, which is a cool effect. The visuals are made all the better by running at a rock solid frame rate throughout the game.

It will take about 6-8 hours to play through everything in Death Rally, but once finished there’s not really a reason to come back unless you’re compelled to earn the 50+ achievements or improve your lap times on the Game Center leaderboards. More tracks, vehicles, and a multiplayer mode would greatly extend the experience, and Remedy has said that these things are all planned for future updates. For an initial release though, Death Rally still contains a good amount of content, and it’s a ton of fun to play through. There are a lot more positive impressions in our forums, and those looking for an action packed top-down racer would do well to check out Death Rally.

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Back in November, Japanese developer CAVE took their expertise in manic shooters and combined it with the dual-stick control scheme that suits touch screens so well to come up with Mushihimesama Bug Panic [$4.99/Lite]. The result was an intense dual-stick shooter with an interesting lock-on offensive mechanic, loads of enemies to kill, and dozens of bullets to avoid. We really enjoyed Mushihimesama Bug Panic in our original review, and its first update improved the experience even more.

Last month during a press event where CAVE announced a port of Deathsmiles for iOS, they also announced that Mushihimesama Bug Panic would be receiving a multiplayer update titled Bug Battle in the near future. Over the weekend, the Bug Battle update became available for download, and after taking the new mode for a spin I can say it’s an incredibly fun addition to an already fantastic game.

Bug Battle uses Bluetooth to connect to a friend locally or Game Center to connect to a player over 3g or WiFi for head-to-head competition. There are 5 multiplayer maps which are unlocked by completing worlds from Adventure mode. Each player destroys the bugs that appear on their screen and collects the amber gems left behind, which work towards filling up an attack gauge on the side of the screen.

Tapping this attack gauge when filled releases bug nests on your opponent, and increases your energy meter at the top of the screen. The attack gauge can be filled several times over, with each level unleashing a greater number of bug nests on your enemy, culminating in a maxed out gauge which will send them a humongous boss character to their screen. Play continues in this hectic fashion until time runs out, and whichever player holds more of the energy meter is deemed the winner.

As always, CAVE has put together a lengthy video detailing their latest update. The Bug Battle multiplayer information starts at the 1:08 mark:

The Bug Battle mode works really well, and despite me being horrible at it there’s no issues with connecting or lag in my experience. The “send crap over to your opponent for them to deal with” factor is used to great effect here, similar to multiplayer bouts in Tetris or Puzzle Fighter style games, and makes for a rewarding competitive experience. CAVE has updated the lite version of Mushihimesama Bug Panic to include the first map of Bug Battle to give players a taste of the multiplayer experience.

Our forum users have been having a blast with the new Bug Battle mode, so make sure to update your game or give the lite version a download to checkout the new multiplayer experience in Mushihimesama Bug Panic.

App Store Links:

• Mushihimesama BUG PANIC, $4.99
• Mushihimesama BUG PANIC LITE, Free

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This past week, I was pleasantly surprised to find a new update for one of my favorite games, Pinball Destruction [99¢]. Pinball Destruction came out ages ago, back in April of 2009, and has definitely flown under the radar since. But it’s one of the more unique pinball games in the App Store, and this unexpected update has added some very welcome features to the title.

Pinball Destruction is an extremely simplistic take on pinball, with very basic table designs and insanely bouncy physics. This is intentional, however, as the game is meant to be incredibly fast-paced. It’s best to think of Pinball Destruction as an arcade game based loosely on pinball, because if you’re expecting any sort of realism or accuracy then you’ll be sorely disappointed.

The thing that makes Pinball Destruction so unique is the ability to destroy the elements that make up each table after completing its missions. There are sets of pegs at the top of the screen which act like drop targets. Once you’ve knocked every peg down they reset, and once you’ve knocked them all down a total of 3 times the various bumpers and blocks of the table can be destroyed with the ball. Destroying all table elements allows you to move onto the next table, of which there are 5.

There is also 3 and 5 ball multiball modes that can be unlocked by knocking down a secondary set of pegs on the side of the table. Things get truly crazy when there is 5 balls zipping around your screen at one time, and it’s really a lot of fun. Additionally, there is a score multiplier which can be increased by clearing sets of pegs without losing your ball, and this is key if you want to earn competitive scores on the built in online leaderboards.

The biggest addition in this latest update to Pinball Destruction is universal iPad support, and the game is a total blast on the bigger screen. Also, each of the 5 tables can now be selected and played from the main menu once unlocked, which is great as before you had to start from the first table each time, causing the first few tables to become repetitive and the last few not nearly visible enough. Now, once they’re all unlocked, they can each be enjoyed at any time.

Another nice change is the addition of lights on the table that indicate how many times you’ve destroyed each set of pegs, so you know when to expect the destruction to happen, and another set of lights that let you keep track of how close to each multiplier you are.

Pinball Destruction definitely won’t be for everyone, but if you have an open mind towards a different take on a pinball game then there’s a lot to like about the title. The physics are crazy, almost like playing pinball with rubber balls on the moon, but it makes for some fast action. Destroying the table elements is a neat idea, and despite the simplistic designs of the tables they’re all really fun to play.

Pinball Destruction is an oldie but a goodie, and has stayed on my device for nearly two years. This latest update adds some nice new features, and has breathed new life into the game for me. If a crazy game of pinball sounds like your kind of thing, then give Pinball Destruction a try.

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Back in January at Macworld, we checked out the upcoming puzzle game Look Again! [$1.99] from Smappsoft. Earlier this month the game was released in the App Store, and I’ve finally had a chance to spend some time with the final version. I was intrigued by the core gameplay in Look Again! when I previewed it, which has you matching designs surrounding the screen with an image in the center.

Since then the gameplay has been fine tuned for the better, decreasing the fairly brutal difficulty and also adding a ton more design types to the game. Look Again! isn’t the flashiest game you can buy, but the core mechanic is unique and it’s a fast-paced arcade game that will take a sharp mind to succeed in.

Look Again! contains more than 200 increasingly difficult levels, with each level containing 3 puzzles which must be completed in a set amount of time. Early puzzles have a central image comprised of 2 surrounding images, and the goal is to simply choose which 2 make up that central image.

As you progress, things start to spice up with the surrounding images rotating, flashing on and off, and various other distractions designed to make recognizing them more difficult. Once you get to the point where you’re unable to finish the 3 puzzles in a level before the timer runs out, the game is over. Subsequent new games can then be started from any fifth level that has been previously unlocked.

Look Again! is a simple game, but it’s an interesting concept and a fun challenge. Plus, there is loads of content with all of the included levels, dozens of different patterns, and Game Center integration for achievements and leaderboards. Visually it looks sharp and colorful, especially on Retina Display devices. If you’re looking for a game that you can jump into at any time to test your mettle in recognition and reaction, Look Again! will fit that bill.

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Anybody who hasn’t been living under a rock for the past month is familiar with Tiny Wings [99¢], the little indie game that could from Andreas Illiger that we fell in love with in our review and then went skyrocketing up the charts to the #1 overall paid position. Tiny Wings has since been knocked down to #2 in the US, but it took an entirely brand new Angry Birds game to do it.

Today the first update to Tiny Wings went live in the App Store, and it adds a number of new features and fixes to the game. The big addition is Game Center support to supplement the existing OpenFeint integration. Previously there was just one leaderboard for overall high scores, but 5 new ones have been added for distance, longest fever time, perfect slides, cloud touches, and coins eaten.

There is also a new nest to earn, allowing for a x30 multiplier, and 3 new achievements associated with it. The Scores option on the main menu is replaced with Stats, where you can view all the local scores for the leaderboards as well as a screen showing a stack of every nest you’ve ever unlocked. Pausing during play will also display all of these same stats for your current game, as well as which island you are currently on. Another new feature is an onscreen counter right above your score display that keeps time of how long you are in fever mode.

Among the many small fixes in this update, there are two big problems from the initial version of Tiny Wings that have thankfully been addressed. The game now no longer crashes when receiving a popup notification, and the ability earn fever mode time while your device is sleeping has been fixed.

The first update to Tiny Wings is a pretty good one, with Game Center support and a new nest being the standout additions. The many other small fixes and tweaks are appreciated as well, making the game a more solid experience overall. Andreas has hinted on his Twitter account that a new mode is in the works for a future update of Tiny Wings, but isn’t spilling any beans on what this mode might be. Until we find out more about the next update, drop by the forums and join the chorus of praise for Tiny Wings, and be sure to grab this current update and check out the new features.

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Back in January, we reviewed Grim Joggers [$1.99] from 10tons Ltd and found it to be a unique take on the endless runner genre. In Grim Joggers, you control a team of 15 joggers all running in line at once. Minding all the different joggers while jumping various deadly hazards and bottomless pits proved to add an interesting dynamic to the gameplay. The goal is to survive for as long as possible while hitting checkpoints along the way that will increase your multiplier and ultimately add to your final score for each run.

We liked Grim Joggers quite a bit when it released, and just a couple of weeks later 10tons sweetened the deal by updating the game with a brand new level and additional Game Center achievements. Now, several weeks later, they’re back again with another update for Grim Joggers. Much like the last update, a new level has been added called Alien Aerobics which features one of the more unique gameplay elements in the game.

In Alien Aerobics, there are the standard ground hazards to be avoided as well as a number of airborne baddies to look out for. Then there are these teleport doors spread throughout which will suck up members of your crew if you happen to run through them. What’s interesting is that there are accompanying teleport spheres that when touched will relinquish all of the joggers who were previously lost to the teleport doors, adding them back into your group. It’s a pretty crazy mechanic, and can really help out when you’re running low on joggers deep into a level.

In order to unlock the Alien Aerobics level, you’ll need to have the Dog Tag Collector achievement from the previous new level, Battlefield Bodybuilding. Also, included with Alien Aerobics is an additional 6 new achievements to earn that are associated with this level. I think what I like so much about Grim Joggers, aside from controlling multiple characters, is that each of the 5 new levels feel quite a bit different from each other, which is really evident in this latest update.

Players are really digging the game in our forums, so be sure to take a look at Grim Joggers if you're in the mood for a novel take on endless runners, or if you already have the game then grab this latest update to check out the new Alien Aerobics level.

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