Guess The News for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Guess the News aims to bring together the world of word games and current events. It makes sense: if you're an avid crossword player, then you probably read the paper too. While the fill-in-the-blank word play is clever, Guess the News underestimates the ability of most of its players/users, making most of the puzzles far too easy, even on the "hard" setting.

Still, it is an interesting way to discover news stories you may have not already known about, and the built-in browser makes it easy to read the news without leaving the app.

Here's a look:

Guess The News in the App Store.

Barnyard Bounce for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

I have to credit where credit is due: I would never think of creating an iPhone game based on the concept of trying to keep inflated farm animals out of pink water. So kudos to the creators of Barnyard Bounce for coming up with an unusual concept. Unfortunately, the praise ends there.

As mentioned above, Barnyard Bounce consists of trying to keep animals from falling into the  water. You do this by tapping on the screen, while keeping an eye out for bonus bubbles along the way. The whole time, a rotating banner ad is at the bottom of the game. While I understand the need to support ads with advertising, I can't imagine anyone would stop mid-game and click on one of these ads.

As for the game itself, you can unlock different animals by reaching different point totals. The gameplay remains the same, so there isn't much incentive for unlocking.

Here's a look:

Barnyard Bounce in the App Store.

When Balls Drop for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

What's in a name? Today's app is titled When Balls Drop. Yes, there are many things that come to mind as one considers the different types of scenarios that might be in this game. In the end though, it is merely a repetitive game in which you drop balls down a board (think Plinko from The Price is Right, tPiR as the kids say) without the cheering audience or real prizes.

While it functions on some level as an interesting digital kinetic sculpture, as an engaging game, it just doesn't measure up.

Here's a look:

When Balls Drop in the App Store.

Towers in Space for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

While it doesn't quite measure up to my favorite tower defense game, Towers in Space is loaded with unique graphics, corny dialog, and a silly premise that makes it worth checking out. It takes a few levels for the game to come into its own, but before long, you're keeping flying enemies from traveling from one end of an ice rink to the other in "New Kwebeck." If you're not sure if it's the right tower defense game for you, there's a lite version to try first.

Here's a look:

Towers in Space in the App Store.

X Invasion 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

The aliens are coming! The aliens are coming! X Invasion 2 puts you in the cockpit of several different aircraft, in hopes of thwarting an onslaught of UFOs. Generally on iPhone games, if there's a story/campaign mode and an arcade mode, I prefer the story mode. However X Invasion 2 starts with several somewhat tedious training missions. If you're buying this game to have dogfighting fun right away, then the arcade mode is for you.

The graphics are solid, the enemies are challening, and overall the game makes for a good time.

Here's a look:

X Invasion 2 in the App Store