The app?   Time Crisis Strike

Based on? Time Crisis is another arcade favorite, another first-person rail shooter and another attempt to save some kidnapped member of the President’s family with attached plastic weaponry. Didn’t we review this already?

Worth the download? Fortunately, and unlike Silent Scope, the controls in Time Crisis Strike actually work. Unfortunately, as this game was originally designed for play with a light gun, all you really do is tap enemies as they run across your field of vision. Blocky, polygonal enemies that haven’t been updated whatsoever since 1995. Recommended for nostalgia, but not much else. ($5)

The app?  Super Monkey Ball

Based on? Name says it all. Like the 3D platformers made popular on GameCube, you guide a monkey ball (literally consisting of a monkey in a ball) through increasingly dangerous and maze-like environments. The twist is that you control movement of the environment itself, not the character.

Worth the download? In theory, Super Monkey Ball is perfect for iPhones. You play by tilting the game’s world, for chrissakes… what better use of the phone’s built-in accelerometer could there be? In practice, the controls are so oversensitive that you’ll need hours of practice - or the first, heavier model of Apple’s gadget – to make a dent in the 110 available stages. The potential, though, is impossible to deny. ($6)

The app?  i Love Katamari

Based on? The PS2 and then 360 series about rolling up giant wads of stuff to present to your royal asshole of a father, the King of All Cosmos. Oh yeah, and that “stuff” consists of pets, people, cars, buildings and, eventually, entire countries.

Worth the download? We wish we could say yes, but we can’t. As with Super Monkey Ball, the execution doesn’t live up to the concept. Tilting the phone should be a natural and intuitive method for pushing the Prince’s katamari around, but for whatever reason, it just doesn’t work very well. If you want an app that uses the accelerometer beautifully, download Labyrinth instead. ($8)

The app?  Spore Origins

Based on? Will Wright’s natural evolution as a game developer. He put us in charge of cities, families, planets and ant farms. The next step had to be giving us God-like power over the development and advancement of entire species and civilizations.

Worth the download? Yes! For a casual, beginner-friendly adaptation of the Spore experience, this app is unexpectedly wonderful. Mind, it’s been drastically reduced… you now worry only about a single cell creature in a small petri dish. Tilting your little fella to feed on other spores is addictive, however, and customizing his body for greater offense and defense provides fantastic replay value. You can even pattern your spore with photos stored on your iPhone. Super nifty and, at the current price, highly recommended. ($5)

The app?  De Blob

Based on? Wii’s quirky puzzle action game. You’re an oversized drop of water, capable of absorbing colors, mixing them and then splattering the grayscale world around you with a fresh coat of rainbow brightness. The monochromatic INKT Corporation, of course, stands in your way.

Worth the download? To be honest, we’d rather play this version than the Wii one. The premise is incredibly simple – why complicate matters with a battery-sucking infrared remote, tangled Nunchuk cord and finicky sensor bar? Here, the gameplay is obvious. Swipe or tilt the phone to move the blob and paint objects. Tap INKT agents to squish them. That’s all you really need to know. Instantly engaging… and a bargain, since the upcoming DS version will no doubt retail for six times as much. ($4)

The app?  Ocarina

Based on? Officially, nothing. We like to imagine, however, that the developers of this virtual flute-like instrument were inspired by Link’s fancy finger work in Ocarina of Time on Nintendo 64.

Worth the download? For the price, yeah. You might only play it once or twice, but you’ll pull it out at parties to show off your iPhone to friends and strangers for months to come. And if you do decide to get serious? This thing truly functions as a musical instrument and can be mastered. Listen to uploaded samples from around the world in the global sharing submenu if you don’t believe. ($1)

The app?  Bomberman Touch: The Legend of Mystic Bomb

Based on? The extremely long-running strategy franchise, first developed by HAL Laboratory in 1983 and now including over 60 different editions. Players run through 2D mazes, dropping bombs to kill enemies, destroy obstacles and reveal power-ups.

Worth the download? The app description boasts that Bomberman has “over 40 titles for mobile phones alone.” Impressive, but quantity doesn’t necessarily equal quality, especially when a touch-screen is involved. Moving your puny pyrotechnic avatar is too frustrating, as he often ends up underneath your thumb where you can’t see him. And no multiplayer? Isn’t that why we play Bomberman to begin with? ($8)