With Mother’s Day approaching, more and more people are looking for ways to show mommy how much they care. The iPad can be a great tool to show your appreciation to your mom, whether it is gifting an app to mommy dearest, making her a sweet online (or physical) card or showing some effort to please her on her day, your iPad is a great help.

Here is my list for the best apps for Mother’s Day!

1. The Video Cookbook ($5.99)

Does mom always get confused on what to cook for dinner? Then this app will become her kitchen buddy. Just gift this app to her and she will get more than a hundred easy to follow video recipes. No more fast food delivery for dinner!

Download Link: The Video Cookbook – Futura Group

2. Pocket Yoga ($3.99)

If your mom is into yoga then she will love this app. All in Yoga HD features twenty seven Yoga poses, chopped up into three difficulty levels.

Download Link: Pocket Yoga HD – Rainfrog, LLC

3. Mommisms (free)

Free app! You are not expected to gift this one, though, but to help create a funny card using words most moms use. By the way, eat your vegetables, there are starving kids in China!

Download Link: Momisms – Michael Quach

4. Mother’s Day Card Creator ($0.99)

If you forgot to create a card for her this Mother’s Day, then this app can definitely help you out. It gives you access to a collection of cute and beautiful background and clip arts to create an instant card! Then you can post the finished card via e-mail, post it to Facebook or print it! This app goes well with Mommisms.

Download Link:Mother’s Day Card Creator – Big Blue Clip, LLC

5. Mother’s Day Recipes ($0.99)

Cook for her this Mother’s Day!  This app features easy to follow recipes for you to cook her on her special day.

Download Link: Mother’s Day Cooking Recipes – iGate solutions

6. Baby Phone (iPhone Only) ($2.99)

For moms with babies! Works like a standard baby monitor! To operate the app, all you have to do is switch the app on, put the device beside the baby and the app will call a defined telephone number once the noise level reached a predetermined threshold. Needless to say, the app should be installed to an iPhone  it needs to perform outgoing call.

Download Link: BabyPhone Deluxe (Baby Monitor) – Bluefields BVBA

7. 4 Ingredients

Another recipe app, but this one does something different. All the recipes only include four ingredients. Prefect for moms who are very busy!

Download Link: 4 Ingredients – Liam Campbell

Related posts:

1. iPad Apps for Car Lovers
2. Best Apps for the Great Outdoors

2011 has been a great year. This website was introduced to the internet in May and continued to rise in popularity until the end of the year. I also got to download a few games that were really really good, some of them got to get a chance to be reviewed here in My iPad Games, some did not get a slot in my busy busy schedule.

Here are the top ten games that were released in 2011 which I think are worthy of your attention if you have not downloaded them yet.

10. Zombie Cafe

If you are interested on how it feels like to own a restaurant and command a horde of zombies at the same time, the Zombie Cafe might be just the right game for you. It features odious recipes to feed your unsuspecting patrons, and zombie employees to boot. Fun!

Read the Review

Download Link: Zombie Café – Beeline Interactive, Inc.

9.  Defen-G Astro

While the iOS is literally swimming with tower defense games, some of them are down right crappy. Defen-G Astro is a breath of fresh air because it incorporates tower defense with muliti-linear defense. The game is really easy at first but gets extremely frantic towards the end.

Read the Review

Download Link: Defen-G Astro – innodis

8. The Bard’s Tale

The Bard’s Tale is a port of the PC game of the game title. It is an action RPG which ironically makes fun of a lot of RPG elements in classic games. The game is filled with lots of funny cutscenes, action-packed quests and music videos. The game arguably has the best voice acting in all RPG’s in the iOS and combine that with the witty, funny dialogue makes the game feel like a fusion of a funny adventure comic book and video game.

Read the review

Download Link: The Bard’s Tale – inXile Entertainment

7. Where’s My Water?

2011 was a great year for physics puzzlers and Where’s My Water? represents that. Here, you have to bring clean water to Swampy, an adorable alligator so he can shower. The game engages the player really well without being too easy or too hard.

Read the Review

Download Link: Where’s My Water? – Disney

6. Mage Gauntlet

Another action RPG in the list. Mage Gauntlet lets you control a hardy battle mage, Lexi, in search for a cure for her inability to cast magic without the aid of a mage gauntlet.

Retro games with pixellated visuals and chip-tune music are a fashion now on the iOS but only a few live up to expectations like Mage Gauntlet. The game is a frantic action at its best where you are forced to save up your limited supply of magic and rely on your trusty sword to obliterate the foes. The game is also humorous like The Bard’s Tale and you are guaranteed a laugh everytime Lexi opens her smart-ass mouth.

Read the Review

Download Link: Mage Gauntlet – Rocketcat Games

5. Muffin Knight

When casual arcade games become very frantic like this game, it becomes very special. I am torn between this game and its platforming brethren, League of Evil, but this one has a unicorn that poops rainbow-colored mines, so this one wins by a point.

Read the Review

Download Link: Muffin Knight – Angry Mob Games

4. World of Goo

This game was an adorable indie PC game with tons and tons of awards and praises from different gaming sites. Was. The game found it’s perfect platform for the iPad.

The premise of world of goo is to take these little balls of goop to a pipe some where in the screen by turning some of them into walls and towers. The game does not end there, though, later levels reveal other goo balls with different properties, so it opens up more creativity. Fuse that with the different weather terrains, gorgeous visual presentation and even more gorgeous soundtrack, World of Goo is one game that should be in your springboard, in case you missed it.

Read the review

Download Link: World of Goo HD – 2D BOY

3. Shadow Era

Shadow era is a virtual trading card game, comparable to Magic: The Gathering (in terms of gameplay and artwork) where you can play with the computer AI or with a human via an internet connection. The game is multi-port meaning chances are, you are playing with a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android user.

This game is freemium at its best — still playable if you want some good fun but purchases are needed if you really love the game and wanted to be competitive. This is the only freemium game that convinced me to cough out some dollars for the freemium services.

Read the review

Download Link: Shadow Era TCG – Kyle Poole

2. Box Cat

I just love casual games that is very easy to earn and play, but almost impossible to put down. Box Cat, an independent game is sort of an opposite of Frogger where instead of avoiding the vehicles you have to crash your character (a cat) into them. Don’t fret, though, because the cat is super invincible and is only affected by large truck when not dashing.

Read the Review

Download Link: Box Cat – Rusty Moyher

1. Tiny Heroes

And the #1 game that had me addicted is…. Tiny Heroes! The game is so beautifully executed, I am still playing it even though I have three starred all levels.

Basically, Tiny Heroes is a tower defense strategy game that focuses on replacing broken towers and mixing multi use and single use defenses. You play the role of the dungeon keeper here, where you would have to protect the dungeon’s treasure from greedy heroes.

Read the Review

Download Link: Tiny Heroes – Simutronics Corp

Related posts:

1. Best Online iPad Games – Top List
2. The Top iPad Board Games
3. Best iPad RPG Games You Should Download

People have already been enjoying the very classic pinball games in video games even before iOS devices were introduced to the market. With the iPad, you can enjoy these classic games without even going out to the arcade or setting up bulky gaming consoles. Here is a compilation of the best pinball games for the iPad.

1. Pinball HD for the iPad ($1.99)

This is a combination of three pinball apps: Wild Wild West Pinball, The Deep Pinball and Jungle Style Pinball. However, you can still download these games separately if you want to. The game is praised for it’s awesome interface, gorgeous design, and realistic physics. The game features landscape and portrait options and an in-game help for each table. This is THE pinball game for the iPad.

Download Link: Pinball HD – OOO Gameprom

2. Monster Pinball ($2.99)

Monster Pinball could be the most creative pinball game in the app store. While you still get a realistic physics engine, Monster Pinball breaks away from other pinballs by the usage of five other pinball tables (these six are linked into each other) which you can access by shooting the ball into a hole located at the top or sides of the tables. Then, your view switches to the other table to follow the ball. This also means that when you let a ball drop between the flippers, it does not necessarily mean you lost — you would just have to go one table lower.

Download Link: Monster Pinball – Matmi

3.Retro Pinball (free)

If you want a classic pinball at its best where there are no added features, just hit the ball with the flippers, then Retro Pinball might be the one just for you. Besides that, this one is absolutely free, so you don’t have anything to lose.

Download Link: Retro Pinball – Fuse Powered Inc.

4. Freeballin’ ($2.99)

Freeballin is a combination of five pinball tables which include Tiki Trouble, Monteropolis, Deams and Nightmares, Neometric and Toyballin’. These games are fun to play because these include powerups, boss battles and missions on each table.

Download Link: Freeballin’ – 5 Pinball Tables – IUGO Mobile Entertainment Inc.

5. Slayer Pinball Rocks HD ($2.99)

The pinball game for all you metal lovers out there! This pinball game features a lot of awesome guitar riff in the background and some voice over from singer and bassist Tom Araya himself! It is co-made by Gameprom, the developer of the the first app I recommended, so you have an idea on how well this game is made. It also features a skull that eats the ball and launches it out of its eyehole so this one is definitely a must have!

Download Link: Slayer Pinball Rocks HD – Sony Music Entertainment

6. Multiball Pinball ($1.99)

Multiball Pinball is also from Matmi, the developer of Monster Pinball. This focuses on juggling a lot of balls at a time — you can play up to three so that levels up the action and timing you need. Three times the fun!

Download Link: Multiball Pinball HD – Matmi

7. Undead Attack Pinball ($2.99)

If you want something that is a little more refreshing than just racking up points, then you might want to try out Undead Attack Pinball. It is kind of a mix of pinball and defense, where you must keep the zombies away from your mansion’s gates, just below the flippers.

Download Link: Undead Attack Pinball HD – by Top Free Games: Mobjoy – Mobjoy, Ltd.

8. War Pinball HD

Another from Gameprom! They are sure a great pinball game creator. War Pinball HD features gameplay with missions, cinematic graphics, and sweet camera effects. It also has this twitter function that tweets your score.

Download Link: War Pinball HD – OOO Gameprom

How about you do you have pinball games on the iPad? What do you recommend? Tell us in the comments!

Related posts:

1. Best Platform Games for the iPad
2. The Most Awesome Shooter Games on the iPad
3. Best iPad Puzzle Games

The iPad is overflowing with different kinds of shooter games — games that most of the time are not plot-intensive but are oozing with destroy-everything-that-moves action. However, while there are a lot that play in this gaming genre, only few merit downloads. I have decided to take a break from reviewing individual games and sift through the sea of apps and bring you the best shooter games for the iPad that are worthy of your attention.

Pick your poison!

• FPS (First Person Shooters)
• Dual Stick
• Vertical/Horizontal Shoot Em Up

First Person Shooter Games

These games are very much like the old PC game Wolfenstein 3D (now also in iPad, but did not quite make it to the cut) where you do not see the character,  only usually the hands and the weapon. These are my favorite type of shooter games so I have quite a lot to point out!

1. N.O.V.A. HD ($4.99)

aka Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance

NOVA HD is definitely the best shooter game for the iPad. The game separates itself from the rest because it boasts the most awesome graphics and it also features a story mode (unlike most shooter games). You will consume a ton of your time playing through the single campaign mode, but multiplayer games are also available!

Download Link: N.O.V.A. – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance HD – Gameloft

2. N.O.V.A. 2 HD ($6.99)

This game continues the story on the first installment after six years. The main character finds himself in a planet where a war between two main factions is about to arise.

Download Link: N.O.V.A. 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance HD – Gameloft

3. Eliminate Pro (free)

This one is really good because it is free. However, you can only play thrice a day. Still worth your while because it is a free game.

Download Link: Eliminate Pro – ngmoco, Inc.

4. Modern Combat: Sandstorm ($4.99)

This game lets you in control of an agent tasked to locate and eliminate a group of terrorists in a dessert. The game looks awesome and the controls are great too. This game have been praised by various game review sites aside from My iPad Games.

Download Link: Modern Combat: Sandstorm HD – Gameloft

5. Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation ($6.99)

Yup, another Modern Combat. This one is just like the first Modern Combat, but more of a multiplayer heavy game. This game features an awesome multiplayer feature where up to 12 players can play in 6 exclusive maps and 7 different modes.  Freakin’ awesome!

Download Link: Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation – Gameloft

6. Rage HD ($1.99)

This game has an interesting plot — you are in a post-apocalytic game show and you are to find your way out of a maze filled with mutants! And I thought zombies are scary.

Download Link: RAGE HD – id Software

7. Battle Bear: Zombies (free)

OK, so you thought zombies wont make it to the cut. Well, surprise, surprise. Battle Bear: Zombies takes on a new twist to first person shooter games: you are just in one place and you are a bear! The weapons here quite hilarious which include rabbit with poop as ammo, crossbow with unicorn horn as arrows and a megaphone! Enjoy the carnival of zombie teddy bears!

Download Link: BATTLE BEARS: Zombies! – SkyVu Pictures

8. Archetype HD ($2.99)

This is another deathmatch first person shooting game. This one is a 5 to 5 matchup with everyone online. Fun!

Download Link: Archetype HD – Villain LLC

9.  Contract Killer (free)

This game lets you into the position of a hired sniper to dispose of various criminal lords. The game is super exciting, but the lack of content (the game gets a little repetitive at level 20+) makes it inferior to the others. Still, a free game is awesome!

Download Link: Contract Killer – Glu Games Inc.

10. CK: Zombies

The zombified version of the previous game. This time, you have a damsel to cover as she gather supplies for the survivors of the post apocalyptic setting.

Download Link: Contract Killer: Zombies – Glu Games Inc.

Dual Stick Shooters

A rather creative take on shooters, you have two virtual sticks to use: one on the right that controls where the character runs and one of the left that controls the direction the character shoots. This system takes a while getting used to but is an awesome control system once mastered.

1. Gun Bros (free)

This is my personal favorite in the dual stick section. It is free, the in game description is super fun to read and the game play is just beyond awesome. The game gets updated periodically, too!

Download Link: Download Gun Bros

2. Minigore ($0.99)

Do not let the cartoony interface fool you. This game is hardcore dual stick at it’s finest and the normal mode is already hard for me. Serious gamers only!

Download Link: Minigore HD – Chillingo Ltd

3. Garters & Ghouls ($0.99)

This is Dual Stick shooter with a story! You play as Marie Dupois to close the portals that spawn undead and werewolves and similar scary stuff.

Download Link: Garters & Ghouls – Namco Networks America Inc.

Side Scrollers

Side Scrolling shooter games are the children of Mario. These are 2D, always cartoony, sometimes the screen moves on it’s, sometime you can freely move from side to side. Check these side scrolling shooting games out!

1. Zombieville USA ($0.99)

Yup! Another Zombie game! This game does not have a plot at all, but you can bet that this game is the most casual amongst  this post’s big list.

Download Link: Zombieville USA – Mika Mobile, Inc.

2. Zombieville USA 2 ($0.99)

I loved the first installment and love this too! The title gets an extreme makeover including new GUI, new characters, new baddies and new features like multiplayer!

Download Link: Zombieville USA 2 – Mika Mobile, Inc.

3. Color Bandits HD ($1.99)

This the Contra  or Metal Slug in a cute version! Color Bandits lets you control a feline with guns to fight in various well-drawn worlds, battle epic bosses and bring back colors. Awesome game this is!

Download Link: Color Bandits HD – Chillingo Ltd

4. Platypus – Squishy Shoot Em Up

The game is like the clay version of most side scrolling ship Shoot Em Ups. The game, although has a quality graphics does not lag. If you love shoot em ups, you might want to give this one a try.

Download Link: Platypus – Squishy Shoot-em-up – Handmark, Inc.

5. Mini Squadron

Mini Squadron is like a merge of vertical and horizontal side scroller SHUMPs (shoot em ups) — with lots of awesome weapons and lots of wacky enemies like UFO’s as flying chickens! So fun!

Download Link: MiniSquadron – supermono limited

Related posts:

1. Best Platform Games for the iPad

Flinging, lobbing, throwing in an arc to destroy or target something. Sounds familiar? Hint #1: Rovio. Hint #2: Birds. Hint #3… well you do not need another hint, do you? I am talking about Angry Birds, the world wide phenomenon that made us love the temperament avian.

Angry Birds has been downloaded three hundred million times, two hundred million minutes a day are spent playing this game and Rovio, the developer is now estimated to be worth just below one billion dollars. No wonder more and more developers are making games that are similar to Angry Birds.

Love a good bird-flinging game? Check out these iPad games that are like Angry Birds.

1. Chicken Balls HD

While Chicken Balls sound like food, this game is a hillarious rendition of an Angry Birds game. First off, the sound effects are funny, with children yelling “yay!” when you win the level or yelling “awwww” when you lose. It also boasts the fun fun fun FARMAGEDDON(!!!) feature where if you collect all the eggs in the level, farm animals rain down the sky for massive level destruction.

Chicken Balls also combines several elements that are not found in a typical Angry Birds game, like Peggle-style panchiko obstacles and the use of power ups, such as anti-gravity!

Download Link: Chicken Balls HD – Endloop Systems Inc.

Read the Chicken Balls HD review

2. Monkey Bongo

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Could be the most creative rendition of the Angry Birds core mechanics, Monkey Bongo starts off much like another Angry Birds clone, but late in the level, will reveal that it offers more than just flinging a banana to a toucan. You can throw coconuts to destroy a few environmental elements that block the banana’s way to the toucan, you can also pass the banana to another monkey and you can also move the monkey. A little hard to explain, so please just watch the video above.

Download Link: Monkey Bongo – Pangea Software, Inc.

3. Snappy Dragons

Snappy Dragons is the iPad game that is closes you can get to an Angry Birds game. Not only that it uses the same game mechanics, it also shares the same goal to complete each level: destroy all the bad guys. The main difference between Snappy Dragons and Angry Birds (aside from this one features dragons) is that the first one gives you an optional level aim — free the baby dragons.

Download Link: Snappy Dragons HD – Extensive Studios

Read the Snappy Dragons review

4. Bullistic

If Snappy Dragons is the closest iPad game, then Bullistic is the closest if we are going to talk about iPhone games. While this game never has an iPad version, it is the only game in the list that is free to download. Have fun flinging bulls to fine china stores! (hint: shake your device while in the level complete screen…)

Download Link: Bullistic – Millipede Creative Development

5. Fun With Death

Yup, the title is correct. This game features the grim ripper flinging imps to souls to correct a mix up of sending the wrong people to the afterlife. Now, you would have to destroy red souls and protect the blue ones. The main difference between this game and Angry Birds is that instead of destroying everything on the screen, you would have to avoid harming some.

Download Link: Sorry but it seems that Pangaea, the developer removed the game from iTunes.

6. Fragger

Fragger is a port from a Miniclip flash game to the iPad. The aim of the game is to lob grenades to terrorists to blow them up to kingdom come. The game physics has one catch, though, the grenades will never explode unless it stops rolling. Therefore, to dispose of the bad guys, you must carefully plan your throws. Fragger is arguably the most challenging among the games similar to Angry Birds.

Download Link: Fragger HD – Miniclip.com

Read the Fragger Review

7. Ragdoll Blaster 2

Ragdoll Blaster is the most casual among the list, as you can complete levels in just a minute. The objective is simple, you use a cannon to lob rag dolls onto targets that are on the screen. The game features a lot of fun stuff, like black holes that suck in rag dolls, teleportation devices, ice blocks, etc.

Download Link: Ragdoll Blaster 2 HD – Backflip Studios

Do you know any other iPad game that is similar to Angry Birds? Tell us in the comments!

Related posts:

1. New Orange Angry Bird Comes to Angry Birds: Seasons!
2. Angry Birds HD Review
3. Chicken Balls HD Review – Not Just Another Angry Birds Clone

Even though iPads have all these high-tech gyroscopes that are great for incorporating into racing games or shooters, sometimes you want to simply have a solid, classic style gaming experience. And there is simply no gaming experience that is more classic than the platform games. All of your oldest arcade memories were most likely on platformers as were some of your first console experiences. Super Mario Brothers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-men … sometimes the simplest gaming experience can be the most fun and rewarding. Luckily iOS developers have realized this too, and there are plenty of platform games for the iPad.

1. Giana Sisters ($4.99)

If you were a huge fan of Super Mario Brothers, the closest platform experience you can get to it on the iPad is the Giana Sisters. They even kept in the sibling relationship dynamic of the classic Mario series. The game is also very similar in mechanics, with block smashing, jumping on enemies, and power-ups. With 80 new levels, 32 retro levels (based on their early classic console release over 20 years ago), and two types of controls (touch and classic), you are ensured a lot of gameplay to keep you fully entertained. And while this platformer can be very challenging at times, it allows you plenty of opportunities to stock up on extra lives.

Download link: Giana Sisters HD – bad monkee

2. Super Monkey Ball 2 ($2.99)

This unique platformer is a bit like Sonic the Hedgehog mixed with Marble Madness in a 3D platform environment. This results in a highly unique platform game that you may have never quite experienced before. The game offers over 115 different courses in addition to a new multiplayer mode, monkey target mini-game, and monkey golf mini-game, so you will have plenty of play-time for the small price of the game.

Download link: Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition for iPad – SEGA

3. Mirror’s Edge ($9.99)

Those looking for a more modern, realistic-looking platform game should check out the impressive and beautiful Mirror’s Edge. This is the best example of a simple idea executed extremely well; all you do the whole game is run. Run on rooftops, dodge helicopter gunfire, and kick enemies in your way in this incredibly good-looking and immersive platformer. I’ve really not experience a modern platform game quite like caliber of this one. You can even play with your friends in split-screen mode. Despite all of these strengths, its one weakness is its short length. I was really looking to play more once I beat the game.

Download link: Mirror’s Edge™ for iPad – Electronic Arts

 4. Soosiz ($1.99)

This game thinks a little outside of the box. While it does have some similarities to Mario (jumping on bad guys and collecting coins), you will notice some stark differences once you start realizing that the world you’re playing on is spinning and thus altering the gravity of the game continuously.

Download link: Soosiz HD – Touch Foo

5. Muffin Knight ($0.99)

[Addendum by TheiPadGamer] Muffin Knight is not your typical Mario-esque side scrolling platformer. Instead, you are thrown inside a stage and you would have to collect as much muffins as possible while dodging or killing your enemies. To spice this up, you will change into different characters each time you collect a muffin. Characters include a knight, a shotgun trotting gnome and a unicorn that poops rainbow colored mines. Fun fun fun!

Download link: Muffin Knight – Angry Mob Games

Read our review of Muffin Knight

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.

Related posts:

1. Best iPad RPG Games You Should Download
2. Best iPad Puzzle Games
3. The Top iPad Board Games

While equally as entertaining, puzzle games almost always carry the same problem as board games — the bulky pieces. Coincidentally, this problem is also addressed by the fact that the iPad is a compact arcade machine.

I love some types of puzzle games. Action puzzle games had me suckered in since the time of the DOS game, Lemmings to the Resident Evil’s puzzle solving sections. I have a few puzzle games in my iPad and I will share them to you here.

If you love a good game that requires thought process, then this blog post is for you. I have compiled the best iPad puzzle games for those people who love a good thinkering to solve a dilemma.

Ready? Think. Go!

1. Cut the Rope ($1.99)

Cut the rope is a psychics based game involving a green critter called Om Nom and candies. The objective in each level is to bring the candy, suspended by ropes to Om Nom who sits somewhere in the level. It might sound really simple, but add elements of anti gravity, electricity, bubbles and the like and you get a really fun and challenging game.

Cut the Rope has three games in iTunes, Cut the Rope, Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift and Cut the Rope: Experiments

Download Links: Cut the Rope HD – Chillingo Ltd – $1.99
Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift – Chillingo Ltd – free
Cut the Rope: Experiments HD – ZeptoLab UK Limited – $1.99

2. Ragdoll Blaster 1 and 2 ($0.99 and $4.99)

Backflip’s Ragdoll Blaster is just pure fun to play. This physics-based game’s aim (pun intended) of the game is to hit the target using a ragdoll and the launcher. Sometimes, the target is obscured by things, like boxes, for example and you would have to clear them out before hitting the target. There are also some times that either the launcher, the target or both are moving, so you would have to time your shots too. The game employs the element of trial and error, much like Angry Birds.

Download Links: Ragdoll Blaster – A Physics Puzzler – Backflip Studios – $0.99
Ragdoll Blaster 2 HD – Backflip Studios – $4.99

3. World of Goo ($4.99)

This game is just amazing. World of Good fondly remind me of Lemmings and it does it really beautifully. The object of the game is to bring the goo balls  into a pipe by turning some of them into platforms which the others can cross with. World of Goo does have a great physics engine, and it shows on the terrain, the weather and how a goo bridge squiggles like jelly. The graphics is presented in a kooky, endearing manner and the sounds is a top notch ear candy.

Download Link: World of Goo HD – 2D BOY ($4.99)

4. De.Mess.ify (free)

De.Mess.ify is a very challenging puzzle game indeed. I kinda gave up on the first world. This however will be a goody for those who want a real hard challenge.

The objective of the game is to move around the marbles, connected with strings so that no two string overlap each other. It sounds easy at first but it is insanely hard.

Give it a try. It is free.

Download Link: (Update: Unfortunately, I could not find it in iTunes anymore. Will edit this back when it goes back up)

5. Burn the Rope ($2.99)

Burn the Rope might sound like a knock off of the game I mentioned earlier, Cut the Rope, but this one delivers a completely different gaming experience. The premise for the game is rather simple. You need to burn as much of the rope presented to you as possible. The ropes are presented in different figures like a goat head or a planet. Because fire burns upwards, you must constantly turn your device round and round to keep the fire burning and prevent it from fizzling out. This might sound easy, but wait till you hit intersections where you must keep two or more flames from dying. To make things more interesting, you can burn bugs that when scorched, will help you out in the game, for example, the spider that create silk silk bridges between ropes.

Download Link: Burn the Rope HD – Big Blue Bubble ($2.99)

6. Ynth and Beyond Ynth

In Ynth and its sequel, Beyond Ynth, you take control of a creepie crawlie bug called Kribl. The point of each level is to move from point A to point B by going inside boxes and rolling them around. Of course, much like any other adventure puzzle games, obstacles are there, like falling acorns and balls that can squish the little fella if you are not careful in moving the box around. It is kind of hard to explain, so the video above might be able to help you out.

Download Links: Ynth – krabl.com ($2.99)
Beyond Ynth HD – FDG Entertainment ($2.99)

7. Bejeweled 2 ($0.99)

Two words: PopCap. Okay technically, that is just one word, but PopCap does have the knack for creating uber quality games (like PvZ) and Bejeweled is one of those. You are given a stack of gems and you have to swap two adjacent gems to create three in a row or column (or more) to clear them and get scores.

Download Link: Bejeweled 2 + Blitz – PopCap ($0.99)

8. MysticGlyph ($1.99)

Mytic Glyph is much like a sliding puzzle game with paths. The paths does alternatingly make it easy and harder, but what makes Mystic Glyph harder than a normal sliding puzzle game is that the glyphs are harder to solve and if you slam a wrong piece into the puzzle, you cause a reset.

Download Link: MysticGlyph – Barrow West ($1.99)

9. Sudoku HD ($0.99)

Sudoku, the numbers puzzle with the math is in the iPad. My girlfriend just adores my iPad’s Sudoku HD. Sudoku HD features four different difficulties, from easy to insane, and the annotations feature of the game make it easier for you to solve. No more cluttery paper and pencil Sudoku games!

Download Link: Sudoku HD for iPad – CrowdCafé

10. Sokoban Pushbox (free)

Honestly, I do not like Sokoban, but I cannot bear to delete this app from my springboard because my puzzle loving girlfriend also loves this one. Sokoban Pushbox is free, so you are free to try it and see if you like it. Sokoban Pushbox has multiple seasons releases, all free, so you might want to prepare some space in your iPad or group them altogether.

Download Links: Pushbox Sokoban Season 1 for iPad – junjingtong
Sokoban pushbox Season2 for iPad – junjingtong
Pushbox Sokoban Season 3 for iPad – junjingtong

11. Rise of Atlantis ($3.99)

In Rise of Atlantis, you go around the Mediterranean in ancient times to collect magical artifacts to raise Atlantis. The puzzler happens in every trip to a country. You implore a match-3 puzzle where various power ups can be employed, including the sun, where a huge portion of the play field is  removed at random.

Download Link: The Rise of Atlantis HD (Premium) – Playrix

12. Moxie 2 ($2.99)

Moxie 2 (I have no friggin’ idea where win the world Moxie 1 went) is a word game where you are given three random words and a wave of 60 random letters. You would have to replace a letter in any of those three words (or add them at the end) to produce another word. The game punishes your score for twoddle (not a word entry) or repeated words. Highest scorer gets the bragging rights for being a word geek. Try to beat the word’s best 10 (which are too high for me).

Download Link: Moxie 2 HD – Blue Ox Technologies Ltd. ($2.99)

13. RushHour ($2.99)

The people in my office just love this game. The objective is to slide the red car out from the tangled mess of vehicles. Unlike cars in real life, the cars here can only move back and forth. Pretty fun to watch people solve this game, but I believe this is a really challenging puzzler.

Download Link: Rush Hour – ThinkFun, Inc. ($2.99)

14. Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow ($4.99)

Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow is what you think it will be: a detective game. If you like finding items in a cluttered background, much like the Facebook game, Gardens of Time, then you will love this game. Along with the tried and tested find this game, there are some sparkly items that open up a mini game that needs solving before you can pick them up. The mini games range from the simple jigsaw puzzle to fitting pieces of puzzle into a contained where nothing overlaps. Pretty fun puzzle game.

Download Link: Mystery Legends Sleepy Hollow – Pixelstorm entertainment studios Inc. ($4.99)

15. Michelangelo Jigsaw Puzzles (free)

Jigsaw puzzle. This game features the best artworks of Michelangelo turned into jigsaw puzzles. In addition to that, you can get a little background on the piece of art used.

Download Link: Michelangelo Jigsaw Puzzles – ADS Software Group, Inc.

How about you? Any good looking puzzler game for the iPad you want to share? Tell me!

Related posts:

1. Best iPad RPG Games You Should Download
2. The Best iPad Games for Kids
3. The Top iPad Board Games

Best online iPad Games: Because games via teh internetz is not for PCs only!

The iPad, having the capability to connect online has so much power in it — you can do your email, chat with friends, even shop online!

But I believe the best gift of the iOS for mankind is the ability to play online video games via the iPad or iPhone! Yes, today’s online gaming community is not exclusively for the PC anymore, mobile devices can now join the online gaming bandwagon! Good news for gaming junkies like me! (And probably you, too!)

Please note that in order to play these games, you need to be connected to an internet connection!

Have an iPad? Connected to the internet? Have some fun with these games!

1. We Rule Deluxe (free)

We Rule is a one of those build-it kind of games available for the the iPad. Here you take the role of a monarch where you decide what building to create, what crops to grow and where to expand your realms. The game is completely free to download, but it offers in-game upselling though mojo which acts like a premium currency.

I was addicted to this game for quite some time, around three months, opening three new realms and lots of types of buildings, including mythical ones, like a Valhalla palace and a gorgon’s cave. So cool!

Download We Rule Deluxe

2. Order and Chaos ($6.99)

This game is a MMORPG which looks like a complete copy of World of Warcraft. Gameloft does this often and they do it well. And that is a good thing.

Order and Chaos ($6.99 via iTunes) is just fun to play, whether it is a copycat or not. In this game you are going to choose a race, Human or Elf (good guys) or Orc or Undead (the bad guys) and then you start the quests in typical MMORPG fashion (fetch this, deliver this, collect x number of items).

One downside of the game is the monthly subscription to continue playing the game. But at $.99 a month, the game ain’t going to break you, except you go crazy with the in game sales.

Download Order and Chaos

3.  GodFinger All Stars (free)

GodFinger, which came from the same developer as We Rule, NGMoco,  lets you rule the life of of a diety. It kinda reminds me of this episode of I M Weasel where they created mini-life in a petri dish and they have to take care of them. But I digress.

In this game of god, you would have to guide your people into civilization by creating wonders, wooing them into following your ways, sometimes terrorizing them and teaching them how to do stuff like farming.

Much like the previous game I mentioned, the game will sell you mojo (NGMoco uses this term all the time) to speed up your progress. That’s how the company profits through free games like these. These however are super optional and I am one of those people who do not buy from freemium games.

Download GodFinger All Stars

4. Pocket Legends (free)

Another free game! This game is also an MMORPG. In Pocket Legends, you choose between three jobs (archer, mage and warrior) represented by animals (birds, rodents and bears). The gaming word in Pocket Legends is very vast and compises of more than 10 regions in all. I am yet to uncover most of the other territories, but I am conviced the the game is good enough to stake my online reputation on.

Like all freemium games, Pocket Legends does nag you to buy premium items and services, but that is a small price to pay to play premium-quality games for free.

Download Pocket Legends

5. Farmville for iPad (free)

Need I say more? Farmville is an ultra craze in Facebook and now that it is on the iOS too, you can say goodbye to your social life. It connects directly to your Facebook account, so you can continue the farming addiction while on the run, considering you are connected to the internet.

Download Farmville for iPad

6. Shadow Era (free)

Shadow era is a TGC (trading card games) genre in the iPad, iPhone and PC where one account can be played in any of the three platforms. Shadow era is very much like Magic: the Gathering, at par with the famous card game’s artwork and game play. This game is super immersive and after getting tired of it for a month, I am playing it again now!

Check out my review of Shadow Era

Download Shadow Era

While most of these are free to download, the games do offer in game purchases. Please do remember that purchasing inside the game is purely optional.

Related posts:

1. The Top iPad Board Games
2. Best iPad RPG Games You Should Download
3. Harry Potter for the iPad – The Top Apps

Since the last installment of the movie rendition of the Harry Potter series of books, namely Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2, people are having lots of Harry Potter stuff everywhere: on bumper stickers, on coffee mugs on PC desktops.

And with this craze, the iPad is no exemption. iPad apps that serve the Potter fanatics (including yours truly) appear on different apps in the iOS for iPad and iPhone, including games.

If you are a Harry Potter fan who wants to get a piece of Hogwarts in your iPad, then you are in luck, because this article is for you!

Take out your wand, conjur your spectacles, relax and eat treacle tart and drink pumpkin juice while playing the best Harry Potter iPad apps!

1. Lego Harry Potter ($4.99)

Lego Harry Potter ($4.99 via iTunes) is a crossover port of the PSP and DS version of the game of the same title. Lego HarryPotter is JK Rowling’s novel rendered in the glory of the classic children’s building blocks, Lego. Everything in the magical world is Lego — Harry, Hermione, Ron even the broomsticks and the buildings.

The game, surprisingly, is addictive even to those adults who do not play Lego anymore (case in point: me). The game has four chapters (each representing the first four books of the novel) and I am just in the second chapter. If I am to estimate the average play time to beat this game, I would say 20 hours of fun, not including re-accessing the past chapters to perfect the completion by finding secrets.

 Download Lego Harry Potter here

2. Harry Potter Film Wizardry ($12.99)

Now THIS is fan service at it’s finest. Harry Potter Film Wizardry is not really an iPad game, just a common entertainment app that contains many film scenes, animations and memorabilia from the eight Harry Potter Films.

The developers put it enticingly perfect:

Immerse yourself in the world of the spectacular Harry Potter film series, and learn why Yule Ball ice sculptures never melt, where Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts are really “minted,” how to get a Hippogriff to work with actors, the inspiration behind Hogwarts castle, and why Dementors move the way they do.

The only drawback of this app, aside from the price is the app’s hard drive space requirement: Harry Potter Film Wizardry is a whopping 2GB in size, which is approximately up to a day  to download.

Download Harry Potter Film Wizardry

3. Harry Potter Spells ($2.99)

Harry Potter Spells ($2.99) is a wand duelling iPhone game created by Warner Bros. You would cast a spell by the wave of your hand. Unfortunately, this is really impractical to play with the iPad for obvious reasons, so they added another way to cast a spell, by drawing using your finger. Try it. It is so fun to duel with a friend. Check out this video from the developer.

Download Harry Potter Spells

Related posts:

1. The Top iPad Board Games

I am a sucker for role playing video games. Since I had an SNES (the crowning glory, epitome, holy grail console of RPGs), RPG’s have been one of the main stays in my video game collections. Have played numerous types of RPGs like Final fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Devil May Cry, alongside MMORPGs like Ragnarok and Flyff. These long to play, single player games have been my companion when I was alone to tend the house while my mother and father went to the province.

I have found out that the earliest role playing video games date back in the late 70′s to the early 80′s when they are text based and  leave you with no graphics and only pure imagination. Zork, an example, was released in 1977. Now that is way older that I am!

But I digress.

Here is the list of the iPad RPGs that are currently in my iPad’s springboard! Hope you enjoy the list of the best role playing games on my iPad!

1. Final Fantasy III for the iPad ($16.99)

Almost everyone loves the Final Fantasy series. This one, Final Fantasy III ($16.99 via iTunes) takes into its system one of the most popular systems in the FF series — the job system.

For those few who do not know, the job system enables players to change the attributes, traits and overall ability of one character. Oh, and the costume changes too! You can select from the physically weak but destructive magic wielding black mage, to the white mage, which heals other characters, to the tanking, strong knights. There are tons to choose from!

The control system, which is a virtual joystick is really really good. It is not obstructive at all, and is super responsive to the touch.

One of the cons of the games, aside from the high price tag, is that the job system’s Traits option is removed, meaning you cannot have a bad ass knight that can heal other characters, and you would have to shift jobs to get the other job’s goodies.

Download Final Fantasy III for the iPad here.

2. Inotia 3 – The Children of Carnia ($4.99)

If you know The Legend of Zelda on the NES (wayyy — I think I just revealed my age) then Inotia 3 might be  iPad RPG counterpart.

In Inotia, you choose from a different variety of initial jobs, like a barbarian, a mage or a priest, among others. Just like Zelda, the battle system is real time and not turn based. This adds another element, though — the 3 party system where you can add two more people, which you will pick up a variety of them, into your party — very much like final fantasy games, but the two other people have their own AI. You can shift control from one party member to another, leaving the AI to control the character you vacated command from. This adds strategy from the Zelda-esque  game play. At one time, you might want to control a tank or control the priest on when to heal.

The downside of the game is the ridiculously funny chibi sprites. Not a problem if you play the series the first time, but if you payed Inotia 2, then you will be disappointed with the work. The game play had improved, overall, though.

Download Inotia 3 – the Children of Carnia here.

3. Pocket Legends (free)

Pocket Legends is an MMORPG, much like the games, Ragnarok Online, Flyff, Guildwars or World of Warcraft. This time, the MMORPG is available to mobile devices, like the iPhone or iPad.

With Pocket Legends, you would have to choose between three character types, each specializing in one combat style and represented by one type of animal. You would have to choose between:

a. Archer, represented by birds that loves plucking enemies from afar, and keeping them away

b. Mage, represented by rodents (I think), which specializes in devastating single target ans AOE (area of effect) magic as well as support and restorative spells

c. Warriors, represented by bears, which uses brute force and hard hitting attacks to kill the enemy upon close encounter

One disadvantage of Pocket Legends, while free, will nag you into getting the game’s optional premium services. You will find these messages everywhere — in the shops, in your menu, in the world map. But then again, it is a small price to pay since you are playing a free service.

Download Pocket Legends here.

4. Rimelands – The Hammer of Thor ($4.99)

Rimelands – The Hammer of Thor is an innovative RPG game in terms of game play. The game style is turn based, which incorporates the use of dice. The dice does not have the normal numeric values, instead have icons of a shield, skull and crosses. It does not make sense right now, but it will after you have finished the tutorial.

Rimelands will eventually let you choose a combat discipline, and upgrades to the heroine’s skill tree. This is where the real meat of the game comes in, where the skills, when leveled up, will unlock other skills and let you specialize in one fighting style or become a mediocre jack-of-all-trades.

Download Rimelands: Hammer of Thor here.

See our review of Rimelands: Hammer of Thor

5. Dungeon Hunter ($4.99)

Gameloft produces copycats of well known and loved game franchises and it does the same with Dungeon Hunter, imitating the big game, Diablo.

In Dungeon Hunter you would choose between a warrior, a rogue and a mage. Then, much like Diablo, you would have to distribute skill points you earn from quests as reward.

Download Dungeon Hunter here.

6. Mage Gauntlet ($2.99, iPhone Version)

Mage Gauntlet has no iPad version, but it still scales beautifully on 2x zoom because the game, inspired by the 16bit PRGs, is pixellated. It features Lexi, a mage with no magical capabilities, but has a gauntlet that stores in spells. Mage Gauntlet truly shines in its hack and slash RPG gameplay and the funny dialogue is the icing on the cake.

Download Link: Mage Gauntlet – Rocketcat Games

Read our review of Mage Gauntlet

7. The Bard’s Tale ($5.99)

The Bard’s Tale is a traditional action RPG with a non-traditional main character. The titular Bard is a mean spirited, opportunistic, womanizing oaf in a quest for money and booty (not pirate booty, the other booty).

Download Link: The Bard’s Tale (Universal App)

Read our Review.

8. Dungeon Defenders ($2.99)

Dungeon Defenders is a great hybrid of  Tower Defense and RPG. One of the best features of Dungeon Defenders is that you can play cooperatively with other players online or through wifi. Dungeon Defenders is also in my post, The Best Tower Defense iPad Games.

Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave – Trendy Entertainment

9. Infinity Blade 1

At first, I was reluctant with Infity Blade. The graphics are gorgeous bar none, but will it run smoothly with my outdated iPad first gen? I finally caved in and downloaded Infinity Blade 1 and I was hooked! It runs ever so smoothly than I expected and needless to say, it  wasted my entire weekend just playing. Extremely addictive!

Infinity Blade – Chair Entertainment Group, LLC

10. Infinity Blade 2

The sequel to Infinity Blade is more awesome, though. Now, you can shoose from three fighting styles and the fight sequences are harder!

Infinity Blade II – Chair Entertainment Group, LLC

11.  100 Rogues

This one is a superb roguelike Dungeon Crawler. You can choose between different classes, ranging from a fairy mage (which is OP IMHO) , a crusader, a lizardman and a skelleton pirate (my favourite). The game is requires careful planning, and, although an action RPG, it is turn-based.

100 Rogues – Fusion Reactions

Related posts:

1. The Best Multiplayer iPad Games
2. The Best iPad Tower Defense Games!
3. The Best iPad Games for Kids