A wise man once said, “There is a time and place for everything,” or something to that effect. Obviously he wasn’t referring to mobile gaming, but while playing six to eight iOS games every week, I’ve realized that his nugget of wisdom applies to my gaming habits as well. This week’s diversity of apps not only reflects what developers are experimenting with on our smartphones, it also represents my attempt to fight off boredom. I’ve still been playing Tiny Wings regularly, but when I’m not, I’ve logged hours of gameplay with this week’s offerings.

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Manufacturer: Cooler Master
MSRP: $29.99

When it comes to cooling laptops, my general rule has always been, “If the equipment can’t cool itself at room temperature, then it’s a piece of garbage.” Thus, I have always been a bit skeptical about third party laptop coolers. After all, it seems like a waste of hardware dollars that could be better spent on other things, like a laptop that can cool itself. When my editors sent me a Cooler Master, I was fully prepared to roll my eyes in bored frustration. Yet, it turns out that the joke is on me. Rather than using a pointless piece of hardware for a few weeks, it turns out that I have had the chance to review a well engineered device.

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It’s been a long, tiring week, and it was slim pickings in the app department, but I think I managed to get a few games that everyone will enjoy. With all the working I’ve been doing, it’s been next to impossible to find any time for gaming on the PC or the Xbox, but my iPhone was there for quick rounds of gaming when I had rare free moments to myself. To make sure I bring you guys some of the best apps out there, I went to the iTunes game charts and picked a few out that looked unique and interesting. I play all the apps I review, and typically only one or two keep my interest in the ensuing weeks, but these five are all fun and are likely to be played in the weeks to come.

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Manufacturer: Subsonic
MSRP: $59.95
Release date: Available now

During the recent PlayStation Network unpleasantness, many PS3 users took advantage of one of the features that sets the PS3 apart from the Xbox 360 and the Wii: it’s also a Blu-ray disk player. But there are no on-screen instructions for how to use the standard DualShock controller when watching movies, and let’s face it, most of us are too lazy to dig out the PS3 owner’s manual. Peripheral manufacturer Subsonic has come to the rescue with the NEO controller, which attempts to simplify the PS3 Blu-ray experience.

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Publisher: Alawar Games
Developer: Alawar Games
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista /Win 7, 1 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0, 450 MB hard-drive space
Genre: Hidden Object
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

Snark Busters: All Revved Up puts you in the shoes of Jack Blair, a world-famous Formula 0 racer. Jack’s following in the footsteps of his father, who mysteriously disappeared 17 years ago. But after discovering a mysterious green door in his garage, Jack puts his career on hold to try to catch the legendary Snark. As Jack, you have to jump between the real world and the inverted realms inside mirrors to snare your quarry.

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Publisher: JoWood
Developer: Spellbound Entertainment
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 2.8 GHz dual-core CPU, Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX or better graphics card, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 9-compatible sound card, 9 GB hard-drive space
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

There is a formula that RPGs usually follow. You start at Point A with an overarching story objective. Sixty or so hours later (depending upon how many side quests you complete), you fight a massive, sometimes frustrating boss battle to arrive at Point B. Your level of frustration in that final encounter is determined by how well you’ve improved your character during the journey. Developer Spellbound’s Arcania: Gothic 4 fits into that paradigm like a glove. But whereas other games of the genre weigh you down with dozens of useless diversions, Arcania offers a streamlined version of the RPG that helps make that trip from A to B enjoyable.

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Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Team Bondi
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

L.A. Noire is a triumph of video game storytelling and voice acting, and raises the bar for all future story-based games. The cases are interesting, and the character interaction is phenomenal. The facial-mapping gives everyone a life-like appearance, and greatly enhances the interrogation process.

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Developer: Futuremark
System requirements: Windows 7 (XP/Vista not supported), 1 GHz or faster CPU, 1 GB RAM (32-bit systems)/2 GB RAM (64-bit systems), Direct X 9-compatible graphics card (DirectX 10 and 11 required for some tests), 10 GB hard-drive space, 1024×600 minimum monitor resolution
MSRP: Free (Basic edition), $29.95 (Advanced), $995.00 (Professional)

The hardest of the PC-gaming hardcore are usually the only users who really care about PC benchmarking. Most of us don’t really want to know how our rigs measure up to those of other gamers; we just want our copies of the latest and greatest to run smoothly so we can pwn as many noobs as possible. But for those of you who yearn to demonstrate that your box is better than everybody else’s box, Finnish benchmark developer Futuremark has been providing system testing software since 1997. Their latest effort, 3DMark7, gives Windows 7 users the lowdown on their PC’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Holy shnikies, do I have some good games for you this week. Two of them (Simple Physics and Tiny Wings) I heard about on gaming podcasts and decided to buy just for this week’s App Attack. These games aren’t as in-depth as some of the iPhone games I’ve played, but I’ve had a crappy week and a lot less time than usual. These games are perfect for when you have a few free minutes or feel like unwinding before you go to bed. They don’t require a ton of thought (except for Simple Physics, which made me feel stupid on more than one occasion), but they are challenging enough to be entertaining. I hope you pick a few of these up. If you’ve played any of them, let me know what you think!

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Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Straandlooper Animation
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7, 1.8 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent CPU, 256 MB graphics card, 2 GB RAM, DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

The reason why no one should ever negotiate with terrorists is because once you’re in such a situation, you can’t possibly win. The only reasonable course of action is to immediately cut your losses. Yes, there will be losses, and you must come to terms with the fact that they are unavoidable. The moment you falter and try do to damage control, they will grow. Moreover, you’ll be lucky if there’s only linear or logarithmic growth, since chances are you’ll find yourself facing exponential escalation. Coincidentally, the same advice applies in situations that involve girlfriends, but that’s of no concern to Det. Insp. Hector, since he doesn’t have one. What he does have is a cop job in the worst city ever, along with a hostage crisis on his hands. If it was up to him, he’d go back to bed, but the higher-ups insist on negotiating.

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Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
Developer: Power of 2
System Requirements: Windows XP SP2, Vista, or Windows 7; 1.7+ GHz or better processor; 1 GB graphics memory; DirectX 9-compatible; 250 MB hard drive space;
Genre: Casual Strategy
ESRB Rating: Everyone

I usually applaud simple, fun games. I’ve been pleased by their resurgence due to the ability to play them on smartphones, XBLA, etc. In general, I think there’s always room for both the giant blockbuster titles as well as the little simple pass-the-time sort of games. Dwarfs?! falls into this latter category, designed for the casual gamer to take a break from their day and go mining for some gold.

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Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

Final Fantasy IV has been released at least eight times that I know of, and I might be miscounting. Despite the original North American release featuring simplified difficulty, heavy censoring and a hilariously poor translation, FFIV is widely considered to be the first truly great Final Fantasy; it helped set the standard for all RPGs for years to come. Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection features the fully remastered original game as well as the mobile phone and WiiWare sequel The After Years. An all-new, in-between chapter has been added to bridge the gap between the two, but does this version really make the game worth purchasing yet again?

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This week’s App Attack presents a wide range of mobile gaming genres. Just by looking at the screenshots you can see that there are some games with high production value, while others have that “indie look” going for them. I am continually surprised at what games turn out to be entertaining. Sometimes I’ll see a screenshot and think “man that game looks like garbage,” only to play it and realize that despite poor graphics, it’s actually an addictive title. Most of the picks for this week have free trial versions so you can try before you buy.

King of Frogs
King of Frogs by Playlithium is an addicting puzzle game. On the screen is an arrangment of lily pads, some are empty and some have other frogs. Your goal as the king frog is to leap over the other frogs onto empty lily pads in an attempt to make it to the goal. Most of the puzzles aren’t very challenging (I could finish them in under 20 seconds), while others can take several tries over a few minutes to solve. The free version comes with over 120 puzzles, and you can purchase additional puzzle packs once you solve them. If you like puzzlers you should definitely check this game out!

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Publisher: GameSamba
Developer: GameSamba
System requirements: Windows XP, 800 MHz Pentium III, 256 MB RAM, ATI Radeon 7500/Nvidia GeForce 2 or better graphics card, 1 GB hard-drive space
Genre: MMORPG
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: May 3, 2011

Today Realms Online, a new free-to-play MMORPG, opens its doors to the general public. The F2P MMO market is already over-saturated with games, but publisher GameSamba hopes Realms Online will stand out because of the ways it’s different from other games. I spent some time with it before the servers went live, and here are my impressions.

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Publisher: 2K Sports
Developer: 2K Czech
Genre: Sports
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Ace, backhand, advantage, deuce, baseline, and slice. These are all tennis-related terms that I learned during my time with 2K Sports’ Top Spin 4. Before I pushed the start button, I knew that you used a tennis racket to hit a tennis ball. Whoever hit the ball the most – won. Now, I’m no Andre Federer, but Top Spin 4 did its best to teach me the game.

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