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 Thanks to the rising popularity of the site, we’ve been getting requests by developers to check out their apps. Many of the apps that we’ve evaluated have been very good to excellent because they’re useful tools, innovative, and/or best in class. Yet, combining these requests with the huge amount of content in the App Store, we’re prone to quickly judge an app “by it’s cover” before a hands-on evaluation. An example of this is HexSet. When Klogia contacted us to evaluate their game as a possible recommendation to our readers, we were honestly going to pass on it based purely on description alone as it raised some obvious questions. First, do we really need an updated version of Connect Four? As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Also, why pay for a variation of Connect Four if there are free versions in the App Store? When we finally gave it a test drive, we answered those questions immediately: while keeping the same basic objective intact, this game is way more challenging than Connect Four because the player has to use different strategies to win. In addition, the game includes a 2-player head-to-head mode as well as five difficulty levels, which makes it a perfect “snack” game with high replay value, especially for those on the go. Recommended with our full confidence, check out this unassuming, but surprisingly innovative game. Pretty sneaky, Klogia! Price: $1.99.
 While I’m not completely sure if Launch was created by a European-based developer, I’m positive that whoever created it was heavily influenced by European culture and style. Everything from the artwork to the game’s objective has more meaning that the initial impression that one would gather from first glance of their mind’s eye. From our understanding, the player is a live round in a rocket launcher making it’s way through the barrel toward invading aliens. Yet, even inside the barrel, what you would think is a linear existence is one that requires a quick yet steady hand to elude the clockwork in your path as you try to make your way out. If we had to compare it to any existing game, the original Star Wars Arcade with vector graphics, in which you elude towers on the surface of the Death Star in your X-Wing, would be the most ideal. With highly stylized graphics and solid controls, check out this wildly unique and literal take on a First Person Shooter, which feels like the product of an orgy between Stanley Kubrick, François Truffaut, and Guillermo del Toro. Price: 99¢.
 Whether it was in the 80′s with Ms. Pac-Man or in the early 90′s with Chun-Li, we often wondered with much curiosity about those sexy female characters in video games. Like our fathers before us with Betty Rubble and Betty Boop, we had our own struggles with the “Bettys” of our time. But it all changed in 1996 when Tomb Raider was released. This time, the object of our lusty affections was in 3D and Lara Croft had sophistication both in visuals and characterization beyond her 2D counterparts. Since then, we’ve been innundated with an overabundance of pixel-popping vixens, who often bordered on the pornographic, i.e. Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive, and the notorious Rumble Roses. To recapture the magic of our “first time”, we recommend Tickle Me Pink, a virtual girlfriend app created by Burt Sloan. Try rubbing your girlfriend’s tummy to make her laugh, touch her head to entice a kiss, and tap her feet to get her to dance. Stay on her good side and you will feel good too. However, get naughty and you’ll both be in a foul mood. With an excellent selection of seemingly familiar songs, extras to keep you engaged, and great graphics, it’s a cool, entertaining experience, which you can easily get lost in. Price: $1.99.
 Although we’re in the middle of Summer, it isn’t too early to think about school. Okay, maybe it is for some of you youngsters, but as a first-time dad, I wish I had some of the luxuries that students have now: cellphones, netbooks, photo printers, and of course, the iPhone/iPod Touch. Just knowing how much can change from now to when my son enters college (Class of 2025! Holla!) has me envious. Even something as simple as iStudiez Pro would have made a world of difference in my productivity and overall academic performance. You see, I’m the type of student that needs to be organized. Otherwise, I procrastinate by cleaning this or straightening out that. If I had this app from the one-two punch of Andriy Kachalo and Michael Balashoff, I’d be coasting since I’d know what my schedule is, what assignments are due and when, and since there is an integrated address book, I can make that emergency call to a classmate to take notes for me as I’m at the bargain matinee showing of The Hangover. Man, I really miss school in more ways than one! With an awesome interface, you’ll be able to see that this app was made for students by students. Editor’s Tip: Make sure you’re taking full advantage of this app by first checking it out with sample data and start editing from there. Price: $2.99.
 Why would I recommend a game which basically offers only one level to play over and over again with increasing difficulty? For one, it feels just right for the iPhone/iPod Touch as it’s simple controls, such as touching the enemy to target/shoot it and pressing above/below your ship to maneuver it, make it easy and understandable to use. Another reason is that the creator of SPACE DEADBEEF is Yuji Yasuhara of Polyphony Digital, an internal Sony studio, which created the Gran Turismo franchise. However, besides being associated with the most successful racing game franchise ever, Yasuhara-san was also involved with making Omega Boost (PSX) and Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei (SEGA Saturn), both of which were fairly impressive rail shooters in their time. While this game will never be mistaken for Gran Turismo or either rail shooter, you do see the polish that you’d come to expect from an experienced Game Industry vet, especially with Yasuhara-san’s background. My point? While our adventures in the App Store up until now are akin to the Wild Wild West, i.e. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, there are apps like these, which serve as reminders of what should be the standard quality level. For that reason alone, download and keep handy. Price: Free.
 Not all Adam Sandler movies suck, you know. Okay, most of them do, but even to this day Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore still make me laugh. Even the man now probably recognized as the unfunniest person in showbiz (Jim Carrey is a close second), Mike Myers, had an early moment in his career with a little movie called So I Married An Axe Murderer, which I always watch whenever it’s on TV. In either case, it took some time to see the “genius” in those films, even though both actors used much of the same shtick in their later films like The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy and the Wayne’s World and Austin Powers movies respectively. In many ways, I feel the same about Restaurant Master by Jang Chan Woo. The game and I started off on the wrong foot: it didn’t work when I first downloaded it, but after the update to support 3.0, it has been a blast to play. Yes, it’s like a certain game that we all may know in which you sit customers down, wait on them, make their food and serve them as soon as possible. But, with the addition of some quirky Asian flavor to the mix, this surprisingly deep game keeps you guessing and therefore, never gets boring. Skews more to the anime/manga crowd, i.e. FLCL and Azumanga Daioh, than anything else. Worth giving a spin. Price: 99¢.
 Remember Aliens when Ripley opened the cargo bay doors, which led to the Alien Queen getting sucked into space by the vacuum? Come to think of it, that happened in Alien as well as Alien Resurrection. This is probably why Alien³ was the worst of the four movies. Anyway, let me let you in on a little secret: those aren’t really movies. Instead, all three movies (let’s not count Alien³) are blueprints for this clever game created by Bennett Foddy and Ryan Chisholm. Evacuation is one part strategy game and one part puzzle game in a sci-fi setting with a duel objective for success: get rid of the aliens and save the crew. Tap any color door to simultaneously open other like-colored doors to position aliens and crew members into desired areas. With the timely opening of the cargo bay doors, you too can be a hero just like Ripley. However, once you lose all your crew, it’s “GAME OVER, MAN! GAME OVER!” Cool graphics and a creative premise make this a game not to miss. Price: 99¢.
 When I saw this game, I was reminded of a t-shirt over at Shirt.Woot!, which started me down Memory Lane. It was about 1984 and my friend and I went down to Comix and Comics (now Ed Hardy’s Tattoo City) in San Francisco, located just past Chinatown and about a couple of blocks south from the old North Point Theater (the current location of Viz Media). We liked mainstream comics from The Big 2: Marvel and DC Comics. But on that day, we weren’t interested in The Uncanny X-Men nor The Dark Knight. Instead, we were there to check out the first issue of something called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Needless to say, we each bought a copy even though we had some reservations about the content: black & white, weird paper stock, and raw graphics. Yet, after thoroughly reading that issue, we never regretted it and I guarantee that you’ll feel the same way when you play this game. Crazy Turtles is a challenging puzzle game using tiles with either the front or back half of four different colored turtles on each side. Correctly match each tile into a matrix of 9 in total. If necessary, rotate the tiles to get the correct solution. Boasting 200+ puzzles, it’s worth it. Price: 99¢.
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