Wow. That's the best way I can describe the iOS port of GRID Autosport — and racing games aren't usually my thing.

I knew there was hype around the announcement that was made a few weeks ago, but I never expected such a polished experience to translate to the mobile platform so well. I was glad to be proven wrong, and even though the game costs a decent chunk of change, I wholeheartedly believe it's worth every penny.

• $9.99 Download Now

Out-of-this-world graphics

There's no beating around the bush, GRID Autosport has some of the best graphics I have seen on an iOS title, and I would argue the best graphics out of all the other racing games out there.

Obviously they aren't nearly as good as its PC or console counterparts, but the textures and fine details of both the cars and the surroundings are astounding. It's easy to forget you're even playing a mobile game just based on the pure beauty of it all.

Cars get damaged, and glass goes flying; go off-roading, and you're kicking up dirt and grass like nobody's business. GRID Autosport goes above and beyond to put attention into small details that make the game come alive. My favorite element that Feral Interactive decided to put in was the use of the haptic engine when you crash, go off-road, or spin out. It's that extra little something that gives you a feeling of being right in the action that had me smiling from ear to ear.

Excellent gameplay with a ton of modes

Graphics aside, the gameplay is dynamite! It's important to keep in mind that unless you're already an expert at racing games, GRID Autosport will be difficult and comes with a steep learning curve. In fact, the game even reminds you that it considers itself a racing simulator and the game mechanics will be very hard to master. Normally this would discourage me, and I would feel compelled to warn everybody about being frustrated; however, the gameplay is so damn fun that even when you suck, you don't really notice. I have been playing GRID Autosport since it launched on Monday and I haven't even gotten close to winning a race, but I have been having a blast the whole time.

On top of gameplay that is rewarding, challenging, and deep, GRID Autosport has so many different game modes — kind of an insane amount. Just from the main menu of the game, you can access five different modes: career, extra championship, custom cup, time trial, and quick race, but if you go into any one of those modes, you'll find even more options for different races, cars, and other treats. There are even quite a few different control settings (all of which are implemented really well), so you will definitely find a driving style you're comfortable with. Plus, it also is compatible with MFi Controllers meaning you can take that console experience even one step further.

Overall impressions

Hands down, I think GRID Autosport is worth its $9.99 price tag. The graphics are absolutely incredible, the gameplay is wildly fun, and the game packs in more modes and features than you can shake a stick at!

This is a must-download for any fan of racing games or anyone looking for a robust and challenging mobile experience.

• $9.99 Download Now

Other games this week

Game Dev Tycoon: Every wonder what it's like to be a game developer? Play as a game developer who gets his start in the 80s and takes a stroll through gaming history as you try to build up your own gaming company. $4.99 in the App Store.

Neverending Nightmares: Inspired by the developer own experiences with mental illness, Neverending Nightmares is a physiological thriller with beautifully hand-drawn art. 3.99 on the App Store.

Months after Feral Interactive told us that their port of the popular console and PC title GRID Autosport was going to be delayed until the fall, it seems we are finally seeing our first glimpse of what the racing game will look like on your iPhone and iPad.

Check out the trailer below!

Unfortunately, no official launch date has been announced as of yet, but it appears that the developers are getting prepared to show it off.

Live stream next week!

Feral Interactive announced on Twitter that they will be live streaming GRID Autosport on iOS live on Twitch next week!

I for one am really hoping that November 22nd is when the launch date for the iOS version will be announced. Fingers crossed!

Hefty system requirements

If you weren't able to tell by the trailer, GRID Autosport is going to take a lot of power to run. The graphics and texture on the title are very high end and because of that, Feral Interactive gave us a rundown of what device you'll need to run it.

For iPhone, you won't be able to run GRID Autosport on anything older than an iPhone 7 and when it comes to the iPad, you'll need an iPad Pro (any model) or the 2017 9.7-inch iPad.

Are you excited for GRID Autosport?

Let us know in the comments below!

CSR Racing 2 is NaturalMotion's second edition drag racer, and it's just launched on the App Store. If you thought the first version looked incredible, your mind is going to be blown when you see what they've done with CSR Racing 2.

Just like the original, the development team has gone to the extreme to create painstakingly detailed, super realistic cars. With four years of advancements in mobile gaming technology at their disposal, NaturalMotion has turned virtual car collecting into art.

We've taken CSR Racing 2 through its paces and have the definitive guide to getting the most respect and gold to put you into a collector class all your own.

• Your first car
• How to race
• Solo racing
• Online racing
• Gassing up
• Upgrading
• Tuning
• Fusing
• Customizing
• Joining a Crew
• Car collecting
• Final Thoughts

Your first car

One of the biggest features of the CSR Racing franchise is the beautifully detailed cars. There is a level of precision that is unmatched by any other car-related game. We're not just talking about cool reflections and shadows off of the hood. Each car is officially licensed by a real manufacturer. So, the cars are designed as if they were real, all the way down to the stitching on the interior. And, yes, in CSR 2, you can open the doors and trunk to get a good look inside at the dash, seats, and inner lining.

You're gifted 130 gold to help you buy your first car. This is just enough cash to choose one of seven Tier 1 cars: The Cooper S, Golf GTI, Hundai Veloster, Dodge Dart Mopar '13, Scion FR-S, Ford Fiesta ST, and Abarth 500.

All of the starter cars have similar performance specs, so your choice is based more on the make and model you prefer than anything else.

After you choose your first car, it's delivered to your garage, and this part is awesome. Instead of the car just appearing in its spot, the doors roll up in your virtual garage and it slowly drives in, with the camera view switching from side to top-down, so you can really get a good look at your new ride.

Spend some time looking at your car. Drag your finger across the screen to see it from different angles. Tap the door to open it up and look at the interior. Don't forget to pinch-to-zoom in. You can't get inside the car yet, but you can get a pretty good view of the detail work. Pop the hood to check out your engine. You'll be impressed with how real it all looks.

You can take screen shots, and even real-time video of your sweet new ride using Replay in the game.

Once you've given your new car the once-over twice, it's time to hit the streets.

How to race

Just like the original CSR Racing, this is a drag racing game. You fly down a straight street at speed far above 100 MPH, pitted against a single opponent. Races are less than a quarter-mile long and usually take about 15 seconds if your slow.

At the starting line, tap on the gas pedal to rev your engine. Keep a perfect balance of light tapping to stay in the green as you rev. If you are in the green when the countdown ends, you will earn a Perfect Start reward. This updated starting mechanic is much better than the previous game because you can see on the gauge when you are in the green and when you've gone over or under into the red.

Shifting is similar. As soon as the gauge reaches the green zone, tap the pedal to shift. A Perfect Shift will also earn you some extra cash. Most races are so short that you'll only shift three or four times.The shifting mechanic is also much better than the first CSR Racing game because you can see on the gauge when you are getting closer to the perfect shift and how much leeway you have to be off.

Don't forget to use your nitrous. Even if you think you are way ahead of your opponent, he can overpower you in a split second by deploying his N20, so be ready for a quick speed jump. Tap the nitrous button on the left side of the screen to really hit maximum speed.

Solo racing

The campaign races, or Crew Races, will earn you the biggest payout and most respect points (RP), but are the hardest to win. This is where the storyline takes place, as well. Jerry, the Crew manager keeps getting cars stolen from his garage and needs your help catching the criminals. As you help him by beating Crew Races, he will work to get you in good with the top racers in Tier 2.

The Daily Battles let you get behind the wheel of a rare sports car. Each time, it's random. You won't know what you're driving until you are behind the wheel. The fun part of entering a Daily battle is that you get to see how different cars perform, some of which you may never get to own because they are cost prohibitive, even in the game.

The Ladder puts you up against progressively tougher opponents each time you race. The higher you get, the more cash you earn. These races are great for earning big bucks when you are desperate to upgrade your ride so you can hold your own in Crew Battles.

Regulation races are straight forward races where you don't earn a whole lot, but as long as you have gas in your tank, you can earn some quick cash. They are great for working in a new car that needs a lot of upgrades. Drive the rookie races until you've gotten better parts.

Various Cup Events are added all of the time. You can earn RP for your crew in the Prestige Cup or get rare fusion parts in the Fusion Trials. Cup Events are limited time restricted races that have some requirement for you to to enter, like a specific car or stock parts.

Online racing

This is where NaturalMotion's collaboration with Zynga really shines. Live Races are where you compete against real players for the biggest RPs. When you enter a Live Race, you'll be able to choose an opponent, which will be a person in real life waiting on the other end for someone to race against.

When you join a crew, you'll be able to compete with your group against other crews. Once you reach Tier 2, you'll have to drop the clutch manually in Live Races.

You can place bets on Live Races with your "Soft cash," which is really easy to earn in the game. You won't be able to bet with gold.

You can go on what's called a "Winning Streak." For example, if you win three Live Races in a row, you'll win special keys, which can help you win special cars. These rare cars are so special that they aren't available to purchase with gold, only with Rare Import keys.

Gassing up

Just like in the first version, your gameplay will be limited by the amount of gas you have. Your 10-pip tank will last about 20 minute (more at the beginning of your game). You can earn pip refills for watching an advertisement or inviting your friends on Facebook to play. You can also refill your tank for 20 gold pieces, but it might be better to just set the game down for a couple of minutes. New pips refill every five minutes.

Upgrading

Once you start earning cash, you're going to want to put every penny of it into upgrading your car. You can upgrade seven different engine parts: The body, tires, transmission, engine, turbo, intake, and nitrous. Each part can be upgraded by five stages and some can be tuned or fused with rare parts.

Tuning

Once you reach a certain stage for nitrous, transmission, and tires, you can tune those parts.

Tuning will allow you to tweak the performance, ever so slightly, of a part. For example, if you tune the nitrous, you can adjust how much of a boost you will get and for how long. You could make it last longer, but give less of a speed boost, or go all-out at once, but only for a short burst.

If you really want to be competatve in the multiplayer races, you'll need to be constantly tuning your parts to make your car just a hair faster than your opponents.

Fusing

Some parts can be fused with uncommon, rare, or epic parts. These special parts are won as prizes. When you upgrade to a certain stage (Stage 3 or higher, at minimum), you can use these unique additions to significantly increase the stats of the parts of your car.

Customizing

Sure, you could just race with a stock colored car, but why would you want to when you can get loud and crazy. You can customize four sections of your car: The paint job, interior, livery, calipers, and license plate. Some customization options have additional sub-customizations. For example, when you change the livery, you can choose which panels get the custom painting or you can add racing stripes. You can even choose from some unusual looking pattern skins or woodgrain, if that's what you want.

Customizations are relatively cheap. They will cost you about $2,500 for an entirely new outfit.

Joining a Crew

After you've won a few races, you'll be able to join a crew, which is a group of real life players that are all on the same team. Joining a crew gives you extra chances to win rare parts and new cars by entering races you couldn't do if you weren't in a crew.

Crews can chat with each other in real time, but they can also pin chats so that crew members that aren't online at a specific time will be able to see important information later. Your pinned chats can be sent out to crew members as notifications so that everyone gets an alert when it's time to meet up for multiplayer races.

Crew events require that members meet certain requirements. For example, there may be a crew event race that requires an Abarth 500. Crews can earn a lot of prestige or cash for competing, so they will want all of the members to get that specific car in order to help out. A little in-game peer pressure never hurt anyone.

You can work together for perks, which could be such things as RP boosts in races and cash boosts when winning prizes. Being a part of a crew is a major part of playing CSR Racing 2 and your team's progress in the game is directly influence by how well you work together as a team.

Car collecting

Of course, the game developers at Natural Motion wouldn't have dedicated so much time to making their virtual cars look so realistic if they didn't know you want to collect them.

When you go to the show room, you can choose from about two dozen car manufactures and select one of their cars. For example, you can select Ferrari and choose from the 488 Spider or the F12berlinetta (the others are only available to win). You can then pick the stock paint job, interior, rims and calipers before you buy. Then, it will be delivered to your garage.

Some of your car options include the ability to drive with the top down. If you race on a rainy day, your hood will pop back up so the interior doesn't get ruined.

You can collect top-of-the-line sports cars from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Hundai, BMW, Audi, Fiat, , McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Cooper, Nissan, Scion, VW, Subaru, Bugatti, Austin Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Hennessey, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, and Pagani. So, as you can see there are a lot of fine cars to add to your garage.

Final Thoughts

CSR Racing is far and away the biggest jump in gaming technology from one title to another that I've ever seen. It's clear that NaturalMotion has spent the past four years honing their craft and perfecting the look of the game.

They've also made some fantastic changes that make the gameplay more interesting and engaging. I played the original title a handful of times when it first launched and never picked it up again because it was difficult to progress without having a lot of time and money. In CSR Racing 2, there are a half-dozen games going at once. So it is rare that you run out of money and have nothing to do.

The added social elements of being part of a crew and the multiplayer aspect makes CSR Racing 2 something that fans of drag racing games can play for a long time without getting stumped by paywalls.

The amazingly detailed car renditions make CSR Racing 2 a virtual playground for fans of collecting sports cars, as long as you don't mind laying down big cash for the super rare stuff.

CSR Racing 2 is available for free on the iPhone and iPad and it looks the best on the iPad Pro. I asked NaturalMotion's CEO Torsten Reil if there were any plans to port the game to Apple TV and he gave an unenthusiastic "maybe." Hopefully, tvOS 10 will impress him enough to bring the game to our television sets in the near future without needing AirPlay.

Have you played CSR Racing 2 yet? What are your thoughts on the game?

Codemasters and Feral Interactive have ported the popular racing game GRID Autosport to Mac, and it is now available to play on Steam for those rocking OS X. If you've already purchased the title on the platform for the PC, you'll now have the Mac version unlocked too.

There's also the inclusion of cloud-based saves, which will allow you to take your profile and saved files across the supported platforms. As well as Apple Macs, GRID Autosport is readily available for SteamOS and even Linux, opening a new world of possibilities.

Source: Steam

Developer Vector Unit has just launched its newest mobile game, Beach Buggy Racing, for the iPhone and iPad, a few months after it was first announced in June.

The arcade racing game is a sequel to Beach Buggy Blitz, that was first released in 2012 as an Android exclusive. Here is what you can expect from the game, which includes some extra graphical effects for iOS 8 users:

• EXCITING KART-RACING ACTION - Utilize your driving skills and a collection of creative powerups to fight your way to the finish line. It's not just a great looking 3D racing game, it's an epic battle with spectacular physics-based gameplay!
• COOL CARS TO CUSTOMIZE - Use your winnings to collect and upgrade a garage full of unique cars, from monster trucks to muscle cars to lunar rovers!
• OVER 25 AMAZING POWERUPS - Beach Buggy Racing crushes other kart racers with over 25 totally unique Powerups ... and more Powerups are coming!
• 12 SPECTACULAR RACE TRACKS - Explore dinosaur-infested jungles, lava-spewing volcanoes, beautiful beaches, and mysterious swamps. Each unique race track is packed with hidden shortcuts and surprises.
• COLLECT A TEAM OF RACERS - Recruit a team of drivers to play with, each with a unique special power like teleportation, flaming fire tracks, and confusion spells.
• GAME CENTER & iCLOUD - Compete with your friends on Leaderboards, earn Achievements, back up your game and keep multiple devices in sync with your iCloud account.
• PLAY THE WAY YOU WANT - Seamlessly switch between tilt steering, touch-screen, and MFi game controllers. Customize the 3D graphics settings to optimize your play experience.
• OPTIMIZED FOR METAL - Full Metal optimization provides enhanced graphics, real time lighting and shadows, and super-smooth frame-rates on A7 and A8 devices (iOS 8 only).

What do you think of Beach Buggy Racing?

• Free - Download now

In Crazy Taxi: City Rush you'll play a taxi driver in Bay City, a town where pretty much anything goes and there are no rules. Insane driving skills earn you extra points, and cash from your customers. Start completing missions in order to rack up some cash in order to keep adding to your taxi fleet, which you'll have to do in order to take on more clients. In order to excel you'll need to upgrade your cars regularly and trick them out to attract more customers. Spending your in-game money wisely is key to succeeding in City Rush. That's why we've put together a list of the top 10 tips, hints, and cheats we think you need to know in order to level up and unlock items faster!

1. Speed up time for unlimited free gas

Every time you go on a mission in City Rush, you lose one unit off your gas meter. In order to refill it, you can either watch video ads or spend diamonds. Luckily, just like many other games such as Candy Crush Saga, City Rush is also susceptible to the system time cheat. Simply hop into your Settings app and manually move the time forward by an hour or so. Relaunch City Rush and voila, you should have a full gas meter again!

2. Don't forget to collect diamonds as you earn them

You consistently earn diamonds in City Rush whenever you unlock certain achievements or add more clients to your sticker book. The only catch is that City Rush doesn't tell you that you have to go collect these rewards. Just tap on your Profile and then tap on each section in order to claim your rewards. Be sure to do this often. A good time to do it is when you've finished up a gameplay session, or before you start each time. That way you aren't leaving diamonds on the table that you're entitled to.

3. Upgrade boost capacity and power before anything else

As you earn cash, you'll need to spend it on customizing and upgrading your taxi fleet. Before anything, make sure you upgrade your boost capacity and power. Sometimes an extra boost can make the difference between you failing a mission and succeeding at it. As long as you enter the drop off zone before the timer runs out, you're golden. I've had several times where a single boost made the difference. And the more you have, the faster you can fly through levels and blast through other cars.

4. Pimp your ride to earn cash faster

When you add customizations to your car such as decals, new rims, and hood ornaments, you add bonus cash to each ride you give. Clients pay more for a hot looking car so make sure yours is the nicest on the block. You'll be glad you did!

5. Connect to Facebook for 3,000 bonus coins

Connecting to Facebook adds a social aspect to the game such as being able to earn free rides and swap cash, but even if you don't have any friends playing City Rush, it's worth linking your account. Doing so gives you 3,000 bonus coins for basically tapping a button. If you don't want your Facebook linked after that, simply unlink it again, you'll still keep the cash.

6. Play every day to earn extra cash in Daily Rush

Each consecutive day you play City Rush, you'll be eligible for the Daily Rush challenge which is basically a free play level where you can keep driving as long until you run out of time between checkpoints. If you miss a day, you'll start off at day one again. Playing at least once a day gives you a multiplier for each consecutive day, which can add up to a lot of coins in your pocket.

7. Don't waste diamonds on the Mystery Trunk

As you complete missions you'll randomly find items around the city. You can then use these items to eventually unlock the Mystery Trunk in order to find diamonds, cash, and other prizes. City Rush also gives you the option of opening the Mystery Trunk anytime you want by cashing in some diamonds. While you may earn them back if there are more in the trunk, you might not. It's a 50/50 chance. My advice is to just keep collecting items and waiting to open the Mystery Trunk.

8. Save your diamonds for new taxis and customizations

Most of your cash, and your diamonds, should always go to adding new taxis to your fleet. Once you've done that, use them for special upgrades and customizations that you can't use coins for. The more taxis you have in your fleet, the more customers you can serve at once. Basically, you're earning cash on other drivers even while you're not playing. So build up your fleet as soon as possible and don't be shy about using diamonds to do it. It's the best use for them hands down.

9. Don't let your extra taxis sit idle

There's no point in purchasing more taxis if you aren't going to use them, right? So be sure that you're hiring drivers to occupy them all the time. A good practice is to check on them when you're about to quit the game. Hire drivers for 6 hour increments before you set your iPhone or iPad down. This way you're earning cash when you aren't playing and you'll come back to a nice little pile when you're ready to play again.

10. Don't speed up for hire drivers with diamonds

As said before, the best use of your diamonds is simply for buying new cars and upgrading existing ones. Just use for hire drivers to occupy cars you aren't using. I have yet to come across a time that I had a need to speed up a for hire driver by spending valuable diamonds. Just let them do their thing and leave one car free for you to use at all times, unless you're about to set the game down. Then by all means, occupy every taxi in your fleet with a for hire driver!

Your top Crazy Taxi: City Rush tips, hints, and cheats?

If you've been playing Crazy Taxi: City Rush as much as we have, what tips, hints, and cheats can you share? Be sure and let us know in the comments!

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Crazy Taxi: City Rush, the newest entry in Sega's cult hit driving game franchise, has now started to take its first fares on the iPhone and iPad with its release in the iOS App Store.

You may remember that we posted a hands-on preview of the game back in March, but now you can experience it for yourself. Like previous games in the series, Crazy Taxi: City Rush has the player taking on the role of a taxi driver trying to pick up and transport his customers around the city in a wild and rather wacky fashion, with the city full of powers ups and other challenges to deal with.

The new game, made especially for the iPhone and iPad, allows the player to customize his taxi cab for the first time. There's also a new control scheme made for touchscreen displays and players can make their way in a number of new city maps. There's even a way for the game to link to your Facebook account so that you can transport your friends around who might also be playing the game.

While Crazy Taxi: City Rush is a free game to download, be aware there are in-game purchases for extra content. What do you think of this classic series making the move to the iPhone and iPad?

• Free - Download Now

Every day dozens and dozens of new and updated apps and games hit the iOS and Mac App Stores. It's impossible to keep up with them all, but it's not impossible to pick out the very best. Here they are! Today we've got a price drop on the excellent Fantastical 2 for iPad, new cars in GT Racing 2, a new RSS reader and more!

New and updated iOS apps

• Badland 2.2: Side scrolling action adventure game. Adds 40 new levels for coop mode, 120 new missions, 6 new achievements and a Game Center bug fix. $3.99 - Download now
• Fantastical 2 for iPad: Calendar app, reimagined for iPad. $5 price drop. $14.99 - Download now
• GT Racing 2 1.3.0: 71 licensed cars on 13 real-world tracks, from manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Dodge, Nissan, Audi, Ford and more. Updated to include 2015 Ford Mustang, Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG, '74 Datsun 260Z. New leagues and divisions, other improvements too. Free - Download now
• Todoist 1.0.4: To do list manager. Adds location-based reminders, simplified UI for reminders, small bug fixes and improvements. Free - Download now
• Sidetrack: New RSS reader with speed browsing, quick access to multiple sharing options, and more. Designed to work with Feed Wrangler. $2.99 - Download now
• Haste: Fast-paced word game pitting you against other opponents. Connect letters in any direction by swiping your finger, with a 90 second time limit. Free - Download now
• Candy Crush Saga 1.34.0: Clear levels by matching three or more candies in a row or column. Adds new Water Windmill episode. Free - Download now
• Vine 2.1.0: Create short looping videos then share them. Now keeps track of loop counts, has cleaner feed design, and redesigned Activity section. Free - Download now

New and updated Mac apps

• SysInfo: Shows your Mac's stats in the menu bar. Displays only the info you want, with customizable color. Free - Download now

More apps and updates?

If you try any of the apps or updates, let me know how they work for you. If you got any new or updated apps today that you loved, but don't see here, let us know about them!

Developer Vector Unit, the creators of a number of great mobile games, have just announced their next project called Beach Buggy Racing, which will be released for iPhone and iPad devices in August.

Beach Buggy Racing is a (sort of) follow up to a previous Vector Unit game, Beach Buggy Blitz, that was first released in 2012 as an Android exclusive. This new game promised to offer up some wild and crazy off-road racing, with customizable vehicles that can be driven on 12 different tracks, with settings that will include "dinosaur-infested jungles, lava-spewing volcanoes, beautiful beaches, and mysterious swamps."

Even the characters that players can pick to drive the cars will each have special abilities that can give racers an edge over their competitors. Beach Buggy Racing will also support up to four players in split-screen multiplayer matches on one tablet or a TV-connected device. So far, there's no word on a price tag for the game.

This sounds like it will be a fast paced and entertaining arcade racing title, and Vector Unit certainly has a solid history of making this kind of game. What do you think about the prospects for this latest entry in the Beach Buggy series?

Source: Vector Unit

In 1999, Sega released a fast-paced driving game called Crazy Taxi in arcades and on their Sega Dreamcast console. The combination of driving passengers to their destinations, wild and humorous gameplay, and licensed punk music helped Crazy Taxi find a permanent parking spot in many gamers’ hearts. Two sequels followed, not to mention a popular iOS port of the original game.

Sensing that Crazy Taxi has even more life on mobile, SEGA has just announced a new mobile-exclusive sequel called Crazy Taxi: City Rush for iPhone, iPad, and Android. The new game will have everything fans loved about the original, plus a new touch-friendly control scheme and lots of fresh content. We met with SEGA to play an early build of City Rush and came away highly impressed.

Crazy driving on the go

Crazy Taxi has always been a great game to play in short sessions, making it uniquely suited to mobile play. Just like previous games, the goal in City Rush is to pick up wacky passengers and deliver them to their destination before time runs out. To beat the timer you’ll have to drive crazy, soaring over ramps, through the grass, and pulling off stunts like Crazy Drifts, Brakes, and U-turns.

City Rush features four brand new city maps to cruise through, with the promise of new content in the future. Players can now select individual passengers from the map, which breaks the game up better for mobile and provides the opportunity for passengers to have amusing stories. You’ll help a business man ditch the rat race and get back to nature, deliver a skater to the ultimate trick spot, take a cheerleader out to find her team’s missing quarterback, and other silly missions. The best one so far lets players hop into a tank and smash cars out of the way!

Seeing as how most mobile gamers don’t own a physical controller, SEGA has given City Rush a brand new control scheme for touch screens. Players now swipe to the left or right in order to change lands on the road or make turns. This makes it easier to drive in a straight path, but still affords plenty of chances to off-road it and discover the shortest of cuts. That said, it would still be nice of SEGA to offer a more traditional control scheme and controller support for players who crave them.

Social and Free to Play

Crazy Taxi has never been a multiplayer game, but City Rush takes a step in that direction by adding Facebook integration. When browsing the map screens, you’ll see your City Rush-playing friends available as passengers. Taxi them around the city or simply compete for the best leaderboard ratings on the story missions.

City Rush will be free to play, with both a soft and hard currency for players to earn through gameplay or purchase. The money you earn from completing missions and performing stunts can be spent on new taxis, car upgrades, and cosmetic features. The upgrades will improve your car’s engine, body, power, tires, and provide other bonuses. And the cosmetic features let you add all kinds of paint jobs and decals (not to mention physical decorations like bull horns) to your ride. Dare we hope for Sonic decals?

Coming soon

Balancing an established game for free to play can be difficult – just look at the reception to Dungeon Keeper. But from what we’ve seen and played so far, Crazy Taxi City Rush adds a lot of longevity to Crazy Taxi without losing the gameplay and attitude that made the original games so special. It will even feature licensed punk music PLUS the ability to import songs and create your own crazy soundtrack.

Crazy Taxi City Rush has soft launched in a few test regions in order for SEGA to collect feedback and fine-tune the gameplay. It will go live worldwide on both iOS and Android sometime between spring and the beginning of summer. In the meantime, SEGA has just made the original Crazy Taxi free for a limited time. Grab it and practice driving like crazy!

• Free – Download now

Every day dozens and dozens of new and updated apps and games hit the iOS and Mac App Stores. It's impossible to keep up with them all, but it's not impossible to pick out the very best. Today we've got updates to a classic gaming title, zombies, and The Stig! Let's take a look!

New and updated iOS apps

• Final Fantasy VI: Bug fixes, conditions for achieving gold medals in the Bestiary for enemies that can only be fought at specific times have been corrected and more updated in this iOS port of a gaming classic. $15.99 - Download Now
• Doggins: A glorious looking adventure game for iPad that sees a dog do battle with a squirrel! And it's nominated for a Gamer's Voice Award at SXSW. $3.99 - Download Now
• Top Gear: Race The Stig: Take on BBC Top Gear's 'tame racing driver' in this new endless runner. Free - Download Now
• Ember: The image organizer from Realmac hits version 1.2, letting you organize your sidebar collections by placing them into folders. You can keep folders in sync between the Mac and iOS versions of Ember. $4.99 - Download Now
• Knock-Knock: A new cartoony stealth horror game. $4.99 - Download Now
• Mines of Mars: A procedurally-generated extra-terrestrial platformer $4.99 - Download Now
• Amazon Seller: If you sell stuff through Amazon, you've now got a dedicated iOS app to help you get it done! Free - Download Now
• Smash Hit: Throw balls, break glass, and listen to trippy atmospheric music. Free - Download Now
• Injustice: Gods Among Us: New update adds exclusive Darkseid character and a related challenge event. Free - Download Now
• Plants vs. Zombies 2: Adds new St. Paddy's Day and Piñata Party levels, as well as stability improvements. Free - Download Now
• Google Drive: This release of Google's cloud storage app contains a fix for a bug that hindered opening certain types of files. Free - Download Now
• Google Translate: Status bar and stability fixes, handwriting input for Bosnian, Cebuano, Hmong, Kannada, Somali, and Tamil. Free - Download Now
• Sunrise Calendar: Exchange Calendar support and a preference for the notification badge to either indicate your inbox count or current date - Free Download Now
• PayPal: Users can now link their phone to their PayPal account so it can be verified. Customers with a PayPal Extras MasterCard, eBay MasterCard, as well as PayPal Smart Connect users can view the available credit in their wallet. Free - Download Now
• MyFitnessPal: This calorie counter gets some bug fixes. Free - Download Now
• Candy Crush Saga: New levels with Sour Salon, Nerdy Nebula, and the ability to challenge your friends, getting notifications when you beat their scores. Free - Download Now

New and updated Mac apps

• The Walking Dead: Season Two: The latest episode of the Zombie TV tie in is now available to get your undead on! $16.24 - Download Now
• Ember: The image organizer has been updated to version 1.5, and you can now organize your sidebar collections by placing them into folders. You can keep folders in sync between the Mac and iOS versions of Ember. $49.99 - Download Now

More apps and updates?

If you try any of the apps or updates, let me know how they work for you. If you got any new or updated apps today that you loved, but don't see here, let us know about them!

Feral Interactive announced Thursday the Mac release of F1 2013, a new version of the Formula 1 racing game. The game puts you in the driver's seat of high-speed Formula 1 race cars as you take to real-life tracks and against real-life drivers in a re-creation of the 2013 Formula 1 season.

Features include Career Mode, which recreates the 2013 season in whole, Grand Prix mode, which lets you create custom championships, and Scenario Mode - 20 challenges inspired by real Formula 1 racing situations. Multiplayer is supported as well (16 player cross-platform via SteamPlay, Mac App Store is limited to split-screen offline mode only).

The game is available in two variants: a Standard Edition and a "Classic Edition," which includes six 1990s-era cars from the Ferrari and Williams teams and legendary drivers Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. Two additional tracks are included, as well: Imola (San Marino) and Estoril (Portugal).

The game is available through Steam, the Mac App Store and other services, and in box if you still buy your games like a caveman.

• $49.99 - Download now (Steam)
• $54.99 - Download now (Mac App Store)

Sega's latest racing game for iOS is Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. After making its debut for other platforms originally in 2012, it's now available for iOS.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing preceded this one - that was a straight up cart racing game, arguably Sega's answer to Super Mario Kart. Transformed introduces the idea of transforming vehicles that can make their way through water and air as well.

The game features ten racers, new content designed for the mobile version, online and local four-player action, integration with Facebook, and different control methods including touch, tilt or controller. In-app purchases unlock additional content like new competitors.

• $4.99 - Download now

Today is the day; Ridge Racer Slipstream has launched for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. After some recent releases in the franchise that didn't live up to expectations, as we hit 20 years of Ridge Racer it's back on form with this latest mobile release.

We've had the pleasure of taking the new game out for a test drive, and it's pretty darn good. The graphics are superb, the track layouts are challenging enough yet fun to race, and importantly you get the full game for the asking price. That's not to say there aren't in-app purchase options, but these are there for you to accelerate your progress, you don't need to go anywhere near them. Unlocking the new cars, tracks and upgrades happens during the natural progression of the game, but if you want to cough up and be impatient, then you can.

The important thing to remember with Ridge Racer Slipstream is that we're looking at an arcade racer. So while it allows you to pull off insanely long drifts around the bends, it feels far removed from a simulation title such as Real Racing 3. But Ridge Racer has always been this way; even in the early PlayStation days, if you wanted realism you went for Gran Turismo.

We get 10 different venues, 20 different courses and 108 racing competitions to get stuck into, all combined with 12 different cars and 300 customization possibilities. 6 'perks' give you advantages which the developers say you'll appreciate.

There is a career mode with progression ladders, new challenges to unlock and the like, but Ridge Racer Slipstream is also really simple to just pick up and play. There's a selection of control methods to choose from; concerning manual throttle and brake, and tilt or touch to steer. My own preference for this particular game is tap to steer and just a brake pedal. It allows me to concentrate on drifting with ease, and since you need to drift to fill up your boost bar, it's important.

If you're into your racing games, then definitely check this one out. It's Ridge Racer back to its best, and well worth a few minutes of your time.

• $2.99 - Download Now

Rovio is back, Angry Birds is back, and this time things are a little different. We've still got birds, we've still got green pigs and we've still got catapults, but this is no regular Angry Birds game. This time around, Rovio has gone all Mario Kart on us.

Angry Birds Go! is a free-to-play kart racer that sees our favorite feathered friends hit the race track instead of the skies. It's also a free-to-play title, which means there are ads, and there are in-app purchases. So, has Rovio taken the checkered flag for the win, or spun out and hit the paywall? Lets find out.

The biggest change visually is the move from 2D to 3D, yet even with this the graphics retain a definite sense of the Angry Birds universe to them. Everything is bold, bright and colorful, and a joy to look at.

The gameplay while now following a different style to the other Angry Birds titles, still retains a similar structure. Progression through the game is still level based, and only when you've completed certain levels and overcome certain challenges can you move on to new tracks, and tougher opponents. The sad truth though is that this becomes tedious quite quickly. You find yourself having to replay the same tracks over and over and over again to fulfil different challenges before you're able to properly progress.

Actually out on the race track, the controls are simple and responsive. You're presented two different options; tilt and touch. Both are pretty self-explanatory, and both are as responsive as each other. As you might imagine the karts handle in a very cartoonish fashion with drifts and jumps aplenty, but there's absolutely no throttle. Think of these more like soap-box karts; you start at the top of the hill – in a slingshot – and get to the bottom as quick as you can.

There are ways and means of going faster though, such as the booster pads you'll find throughout the circuits, or by using your power-ups, which have a unique flavor to them depending on which character you're currently playing as. You only get one power-up per race early on though, and even when you do unlock the ability to use it multiple times, the more you use it the more in-game currency you need to hand over.

So, it's a fun if slightly tedious game to play. But the single biggest issue this game faces is the paywall. You can avoid it, sure, but Rovio makes it as tough to climb as possible.

Take upgrades for example. As you progress through the game your karts will need to meet a certain standard – displayed as CC – to enter races and challenges. The only way to keep up with this is to keep upgrading your kart, and upgrading takes coins. If you haven't collected enough, you're left with no choice but to cough up. This in turn then hampers your actual in-race performance, as too often you'll be concentrating more on collecting the coins than winning the races.

And all that is without coming on to the cost of some of the upgraded karts. No Angry Birds game in existence should have a $49.99 in-app purchase available. For a brand we've lived with for some years now – that has provided good quality, low cost mobile gaming – asking someone to pay the price of a new console game for an in-app purchase is scandalous. There's no other way of putting it. Especially when you consider how many kids will be playing this.

It gets worse too; the price of the new karts isn't displayed in the in-game store; you're not told until you've entered Touch ID or your iTunes password and asked to confirm how much it is you're handing over. Not good enough Rovio, not good enough by a long stretch, especially with some of the prices as high as they are.

Away from the karts, your birds get tired. OK, real racers get tired too, but once you're out of energy, you either wait a varying length of time to play again or pay up with in-game currency. It feels like nickel-and-diming at its very worst. The advertising in the game doesn't offend at all in comparison.

The good

• Looks great
• Easy to pick up and play
• Simple, responsive controls

The bad

• The paywall, it's everywhere and you feel constantly nickel-and-dimed
• In-app purchase prices are hidden until the confirmation step
• In-app purchase prices go from reasonable to ridiculous
• Tedious progression ladder

The bottom line

I wanted to love Angry Birds Go, but I can't. I feel let down by Rovio. The famous franchise has reached a level of out-and-out greed, and you can't play this game without feeling like your wallet is more important than the experience you're having. It's such a shame, because underneath there's a fun game, but it's a fun game where folks will get rightfully tired of having to pay up or compromise. This should have been so much more.

• Free - Download Now

GT Racing 2, which was announced by Gameloft back in September, is now available for download on both iPhone and iPad. The game includes 1,400 events and over 60 licensed cars including Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Dodge, Nissan, Audi, Ford, and more.

Gameloft is claiming GT Racing 2 is one of the most realistic racing experiences due to new built-in physics along with day and night mode. You can play with friends in multiplayer mode or play solo. If you're playing multiplayer you can race against each other or join teams to complete goals and challenges.

One of the things that GT Racing fans will enjoy is that you won't ever have to pay to play, per the app description:

That doesn't mean there aren't any in-app purchase options though. If you want cash to spent in game, you'll have to buy it with real money by way of IAP.

if you try out GT Racing 2, make sure you let us know what you think in the comments!

• Free - Download Now

Racing simulation service iRacing.com has come to the Mac. iRacing features subscription-based, massively-multiplayer online racing in multiple leagues, including NASCAR, IndyCar, and Williams F1. Subscriptions starts at $12 per month. The OS X version of iRacing.com is the same as the PC version, and is compatble with the Snow Leopard, Lion, and Mountain Lion releases of OS X. Addtionally, Macs will need to be using Intel HD Graphics 4000 or better, 2GB of RAM, and 6GB of hard drive space to run the service.

Below is a video detailing iRacing.com's service.

Source: iRacing.com

Flippify has released Race the Sun, a racing game of a different stripe. The game is available for Mac, Windows and Linux platforms, directly from the developer.

Race the Sun puts you in control of a solar-powered racer that makes its way low over the terrain of a minimalistic, procedurally generated world populated by simple geometric shapes - tetrahedrons, prisms, cones and spheres. The title describes your goal - as a solar-powered craft, you need to stay in the sun or you'll lose power. Your goal is to get the highest score by avoiding obstacles and enemies while collecting powerups and speed boosts. The game ends at sundown.

But that's only scratching the surface. Race the Sun also features cooperative multiplayer mode that lets you and up to three other players participate in an asynchronous co-op relay race. What's more, it includes a built-in world editor to create new game levels complete with animated, interactive objects like flocks of birds or falling blocks.

• Download now

Asphalt 8: Airborne is hitting the App Store on August 22, and let me tell you - it’ll be worth every single one of the 99 cents you pay for it, and probably worth a few in-app purchases too. We got our first taste of the game at E3, which, if nothing else, showcased the extreme upgrade in graphics. After playing it for a day or two, I’m happy to report that Asphalt 8 has officially replaced Real Racing 3 as my favorite driving game.

If there’s one thing the Asphalt series had going for it, it was a ridiculous, over-the-top gameplay style, and it very much stays true to that spirit. Asphalt 8 is built for adrenaline junkies in a bunch of ways. For one, boosting now has a mini-game element built into it. When you tap once, you initiate your boost, and when you tap again, you go into a faster, second-phase boost. After the first tap, your nitro meter starts going down, and if you tap a second time when it reaches a small target zone, then your secondary boost will be even, uh, boostier.

Asphalt 8 earns its AIrborne namesake due to the new aerial mechanics built in. Tracks are littered with ramps that let you corkscrew through the air, launch over chasms, and land squarely on top of fellow racers. Throw in a little drift action before you hit the jump, and you can spin laterally. The gameplay itself is about par for course. You work your way through a series of challenges across a variety of international locations. Play types range from the standard race to an elimination mode that continually removes whoever’s in last place, a demolition-focused takedown mode, and infection, which is basically a very dangerous version of “tag”.They’ve shamelessly stolen the ghost-based multiplayer, but more power to ‘em. There’s also live multiplayer for up to 8 racers.

Players earn stars for completing race objectives, and credits from earning medals, such as near-misses, takedowns, and other high-speed antics. The more stars you gather, the more races you unlock. Credits go towards buying new cars and upgrading the ones you already have. Yes, you can buy credits through in-app purchases. By the sixth race with around 10,000 credits, I was at a point where I needed to get a new ride or upgrade the noobmobile I started with in order to move forward. $1.99 gets you 6,000 credits, and the most expensive one in the game is 375,000. You can also by collections of cars ranging from $1.99 to $99.99. That rate of progression doesn’t feel too steep to me, but your mileage may vary. At least there’s no secondary premium currency.

By default acceleration is permanently on, tapping the left side hits the brakes, and tapping the right side starts the nitro. There are alternative control schemes, but I’ve been perfectly happy with this one. Drifting goes on for a little while longer than I would like, but on the whole the controls are extremely fluid and reactive.

The graphics and soundtrack are fantastic to the point that I can barely believe this game costs a buck. You’ve got great reflection effects in the windshields, light trails in the darker levels, excellent particles when grinding against competitors, natural UI tilting as you steer, and lots more. The little things, like having incoming traffic blink their headlights at you for being a crazy person, are particularly nice. The music is high-energy, level-specific, and every once in awhile, you’ll actually hear a band you recognize. Even the cars are faithful reproductions of actual models, though they still get dirty and dinged up over the course of play.

The absolute worst thing I could say about Asphalt 8 is that the track selection isn’t great. Even with a variety of game modes, new cars, and lots of branching paths, you end up soaking in a lot of the same scenery. The UI could use a little bit of tweaking. For example, I’d like to be able to hit a replay button after absolutely bombing a course, rather than having to tap through and load it up all over again. A confirmation window when upgrading vehicle parts would be really nice too. Although much of Asphalt 8 might be slightly derivative of, say, the Burnout series, that really doesn’t take away from the fun of the game.

All in all, Asphalt 8: Airborne is absolutely awesome. It’s gorgeous, fun, balanced, and has all the right parts for an excellent racing game. If you’re tired of waiting for Real Racing 3 repairs to finish, and are looking for something a little more lighthearted, Asphalt 8: Airborne will scratch that racing itch just as well (if not better). 

- $0.99 - Download Now

Real Racing 3 by Firemonkeys and EA is one of the best racing games out there for iOS. The fact it comes as a free download with in-app purchases frustrates some – myself included – but it has at least opened up the opportunity to play to many, many more. That aside, it's a fantastic game, and if you're looking to get a little better, or learn some tricks to mastering the in-app purchases, then look no further. Here's our guide to getting the best from Real Racing 3.

1. Always have the best car you can

Seems an odd statement, but it's the best way to progress through the game well. The game structure recently changed into a progress driven career mode, so getting the best car possible at the right time is even more crucial. Don't think about conserving credits – either pre-loaded or something you've bought – go for the best you can afford. At the beginning of the game you don't want to be thinking about upgrades, you need to hit the track, and the initial choice of car won't matter too much. I started out with the Ford Focus RS, which has proved to be highly upgradeable and an excellent all-rounder as the game has progressed. But as you progress now, you need to have certain performance ratings on your car to enter certain races. So if you can get something faster, then do.

2. Be smart with your upgrades

An increase in top speed isn't going to help on most tracks and challenges. Engine upgrades tend to offer better results in top speed, but less in terms of acceleration. In a lot of the races in RR3, lower 0-60 times will benefit much more than being able to go 195mph. The start is crucial, and getting away from the line and up to racing speed quicker will ultimately gain you more places in the early part of the race, and being able to pull away from corners quicker than your opponents will help you consolidate your position once you've passed them. So, look to upgrading the drivetrain before the engine, get that 0-60 time down. Also look at combining this with reducing the weight of your car.

3. Likewise, be smart with in-app purchases

It truly is possible to play RR3 without spending a penny, but you'll spend more time waiting around for things to happen. If you should feel you want to spend some money to help you out, be smart. Look at the packages you can purchase that combine gold and R$, and also the specific car related packages too. Don't blindly tap away to increase just your R$ or your gold, strike a good balance. And, if you have the currency available and a deal flashes up on a car such as 40% off, buy it. If you're in a position to buy it, and to use it at your current level of progression, then do it. I picked up a BMW Z4 GT3 for 40% below it's regular in-game price, which otherwise I probably wouldn't have done.

4. Know your circuits, and the different layouts of each

This comes with playing time, but as you become familiar with the circuits make sure you take note as to which layout you're racing on. This will affect your mindset, and possibly even your choice of car going into a race. For example, all Cup races at Laguna Seca will see you starting 22nd on the grid, which puts you the other side of the final turn. So you're already at a disadvantage, with a slow corner to negotiate before even hitting the start/finish straight. Here you'll want to be in the absolute fastest car you have for the race. Likewise at Silverstone, there are three different configurations, with two different start lines. Both see you starting a cup race on a turn, but the National layout sees you use a completely different part of the circuit to the International layout, while the Grand Prix layout combines both. Considering the track before the race is almost as important to success as the car you choose.

5. Horsepower isn't everything in a drag race

It isn't everything, but naturally it is important. What's going to win you drag races is timing. Since RR3 uses Time Shifted Multiplayer, your opponent is a real person who went down that same strip. You time your run to perfection and you stand a solid chance even if you're lacking a few horses over them. The launch is key, but remember that the delay between the red and green lights varies through rounds, so don't get caught out and false start. Once you're off the line, glue your eyes to the rev counter. Hit the sweet spot for each gear change just below the red line, and you're on for a good run. The counter will stop or bounce around just at the top of the red line depending on the car, but hit the gear changes at the right spot and you won't be caught. Well, not always, anyway.

6. Run wide (but not too wide), don't slide

Hitting the grass kills your momentum, a lot, but equally so does sliding round corners. While it looks cool, it isn't going to help you win your races one bit. If you go in a bit hot and you're not going to make your turn in for the apex of the corner, let it run wide and use all the track. It may cost you some lap time, but it's going to cost you a lot less than if you overcook it and get the tail out. If you're too late on the brakes, keep your turn in as smooth as you can, and you'll come out better in the long run.

7. Use the bonuses to your advantage

The latest update brought some additional ways to earn extra R$. Playing every day is one of those, so even if you don't feel like playing, fire it up, claim the reward, then close it again. Also, as hard as it is not to use brute force to knock your opponents out of the way some times, do whatever it takes to avoid them and claim that clean race cash. Also, stick at one particular series, and complete as much of it as you can before moving on. The new career style progression ladder will help, but hitting 25% complete in a series for example nets you free currency. And currency is good.

8. Spam your Facebook friends

OK, that's not really what you need to do, but you can earn extra gold by sharing your results with your friends on Facebook. You can also share to Sina Weibo if you're in a supported region. But, for five free gold, who cares what your friends think, right? Such a shame I don't use Facebook...

9. Get all over those kerbs

When I completed my race license test here in the UK, I was told that kerbs are generally bad, and that the fastest line around the track isn't to drive all over them. That doesn't apply at all in Real Racing 3, in fact some of the quickest lines I've found involve getting plenty of kerb into some of the turns. Take the image above, taken from the Brand Hatch track. Follow this line through this turn and you can carry a little extra speed, which ultimately works out as you hammer round the final turn and off down the start finish straight. I've also found a lot of the other cars generally stay away from them, so if you can keep that line tight and use the kerbs, you can often sneak up the inside. But only do this when you're confident you can get a good exit speed or you'll get burned on the other side.

10. Your best tips and tricks?

So, that's a few of my own tips and tricks to getting the most out of Real Racing 3, but I've only really scratched the surface. If you've got any others, be sure to drop into the comments below. I know I'm always trying to make my game better, as I'm sure a lot of you guys are!

The App Store free app of the week often throws up some great apps, and this week is no exception. Gameloft's Asphalt 7 - Heat is this weeks selection to be had for no outlay, and fans of racing games should definitely go take a look.

Asphalt 7 features more than 60 different vehicles, from some of the worlds leading prestige manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini. Perhaps, more importantly though, one of the most iconic cars of all time is there to drive too. The DeLorean! There's 15 different circuits set in different, real world cities all over the globe, multiplayer, and pretty spectacular graphics.

Download Asphalt 7 - Heat now for free from the App Store for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. If it's your first time playing Asphalt 7, drop into the comments and tell us how you like it.

• Free - Download Now

Every week, the editors and writers at iMore carefully select some of our favorite, most useful, most extraordinary apps, accessories, gadgets, and websites. This week's selections include several iPhone and iPad games, a social app that helps you find interesting people to follow, and an app (for non US folk) that gives away free content and apps.

Discovr People - Ally Kazmucha

Discovr People is a great concept with a beautiful app behind it. If you ever have issues finding quality users to follow on Twitter, Discovr People is a great way to get there. Once launching the app you can type in any username you'd like to see their network and recent interactions. If you know people that engage with people that share the same interests with you, those are the usernames I would search for.

I used Discovr People recently to search for the followers on Twitter that I interact with the most. From there I looked at the people they'd have the most recent interactions with. I actually ended up finding quite a few interesting people that won't clutter up my timeline with pointless retweets and memes. You can view their profiles right within Discovr People as well as follow them and add them to lists. For free, what more could you ask for?

• Free - Download Now

Twelve Days of Christmas - Chris Oldroyd

This week, being Christmas week, I have chosen Apple’s annual free app “Twelve Days of Christmas” that gives away free content for twelve days after Christmas.

The app gives away apps, books and music content every day starting from December 26th and it is well worth grabbing. You will receive a push notification each day of the promotion to remind you to get your free content.

So far Apple has given away a music EP, a football game and a TV episode from the really popular series “Sherlock”. The downside is that the app is available in loads of places with the exception of the US App Store. If you haven’t got it already, make sure you do as there are still 9 more days to go!

• Free - Download now

Game of Thrones companion - Joseph Keller

If you're a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, or their adaptation, the Game of Thrones television series on HBO, you know that the world created by George R.R. Martin is very dense. The Game of Thrones Companion is your go-to reference guide for that world. The Companion contains the full details of characters, houses, cities, and more. Also included are several maps of all of the major locations in the series. But one of the best features of this app are the spoiler settings, which allow you to set which book you have read, up through the latest one. This way, you don't accidentally spoil yourself before you’ve had a chance to read the later books, and after you’ve finished each successive volume, you can update your spoiler settings accordingly. The Game of Thrones Companion is available for $2.99. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you should definitely give it a look.

• $2.99 - Download Now

Clay Jam - Simon Sage

Clay Jam is an imaginative free-to-play game that has players amassing clay by rolling a ball over various colorful and wacky monsters. Players have to dig a trench for a ball to roll through by tracing a path ahead of it, and as it rolls over monsters, the ball gets bigger, enabling it to pick up bigger ones. In that way, it's a lot like Katamari Damacy, but be careful to avoid things that are too big, or else you'll just bump right off them and lose some clay. There are optional missions for each stage that reward extra clay, which can be used to unlock new levels and monsters. Clay Jam is a ton of fun, and though it's very kid-friendly, even us grown-ups will enjoy playing a few rounds. You'll be surprised by how good an app made of clay looks.

• Free - Download now

Hill Climb Racing - Leanna Lofte

Hill Climb Racing isn't so much my pick, as it is my husband's pick for the week -- which is precisely why I'm choosing it. You see, my husband is what one would call a "gamer", but on the PC, on the iPhone or iPad, yet he is totally addicted to Hill Climb Racing right now. It's a physics based driving game where the goal is to drive as far as possible; it can be classified is a "runner" (only you're driving, not running). You must use the gas and break to control the speed of your car to prevent from flipping your car and breaking the driver's neck. Hill Climb Racing is both challenging and addicting.

• Free - Download now

Avengers: The Initiative - Rene Ritchie

I'm fully capable of not liking things that are brilliant. There are plenty of great movies, filled with incredible vision and talent, that just aren't to my tastes. By the same token, I adore quite a few things that, empirically, aren't very good, including terrible martial arts movies, and bad comic book adaptions. It's into that last category that Avengers: The Initiative falls. As a game unto itself, it's a poor -- really poor -- clone of Infinity Blade with nowhere near the tightness of control, and even more repetitiveness.

But right out the gate, you could play as the Hulk.

Read that again. Infinity Blade, but you could play as the %$#@ Hulk. Yeah. Smash.

And now a bad thing has gotten even better. Avengers: The Initiative has been updated to better support the iPad mini, as well as the Phone 5 and iPod touch 5's 16:9 widescreen. They've also added the Hulk's Mr. Fixit look from the classic Peter David era (though in green, not gray, sigh), added a new location, the Hydracarrier (think Hellicarrier but more neo-Nazi), and new enemies like the Task Master.

And they've added a new playable character, Captain America.

That's right. %$#@ Captain America.

Would that the their game-crafted skill matched their feature intentions!

But just like I enjoy the hell out of really cheesy movies and TV shows, I'm enjoying the hell out of Avengers: The Initiative.

Normally $6.99, but right now it's on sale for the cheap, cheap price of FREE.

• Free on sale - Download now

Your choice?

Now that we've chosen our favorites for the week, we want to hear yours! Did you pick up a killer app, accessory, or game this week? Let us know in the comments below!

EA Mobile has announced that it is well on the way towards releasing Need For Speed Most Wanted for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. To show us just how near it is, EA has released a teaser video showing what to expect when it arrives. Need for Speed Most Wanted has been developed by Firemonkeys and promises stunning graphics and online gameplay.

The screenshots and video certainly make it appear that EA and Firemonkeys have a big hit on their hands. The graphics look pretty awesome to me and the fact that you can play online and compete across different platforms make this a very enticing proposition too; imagine playing a game on your iPad against someone on a PS3 or Xbox 360. All we know for now on the availability front is that it is coming in October. We will let you know as soon as it arrives in the App Store.

Source: Need For Speed

If you've ever had a hankering for some octogenarian X-Games-style action, look no further than Granny Smith for iPhone and iPad. The premise is simple enough: Granny has has her apples stolen for the last time and she isn't going to stand for it anymore. In fact, cane in hand, armed with baseballs and bananas (just go with it), she's strapped on roller skates and aims to run the thief down.

Granny Smith boasts 36 carefully crafted levels spread out through dozens of 3D, storybook-style worlds. Gameplay is simple and straight forward -- GRANNY SMASH! wouldn't be a bad way to describe it -- and thanks to an advanced physics engine, you can enjoy spectacular crashes with complete particle and debris explosions just to put a point on them. (And the very best moments of chaos and destruction get played right back for you in vintage video format for your viewing pleasure.) Power up Granny with more powerful weapons of mass-destruction, like banana peels, protect her with a helmet, or swap her out entirely for one of two additional characters -- Scruffy or Stanley.

Pity the puny Apple thief.

I've only had time to try it out for a few minutes, but so far, so fun. Or as Jerry Hildrenbrand from Android Central put it: Buying the Granny Smith game is the best buck you'll spend this week. If you've given Granny a go, let me know how you like it.

$0.99 - Download now

Firemonkey has revealed some screenshots and a teaser video from its upcoming third episode of the ever popular Real Racing series of games for the iPhone and iPad and it looks amazing. The new game, if the screenshots and video are anything to go by, looks like the best version to date and the graphics look simply stunning.

The only thing we know so far is that Real Racing 3 is scheduled to hit the App Store later this year. I wouldn’t be that surprised if it were shown off on-stage at next month’s iPhone 5 event. With visuals that look as good as they do in the trailer it would be a no brainer to show off on the new iPhone’s larger display.

Source: TouchArcade

Yesterday Gameloft released the next iteration of their long-standing racing series for iPhone and iPad: Asphalt 7 - Heat.

Asphalt 7 includes 15 tracks based on real-world locations and 60 brand-name cars to drive. There's multiplayer support for 5 racers, either online or local, through which you can place on leaderboards (Gameloft's, no Game Center here). There are also weekly challenges if you feel like you've got what it takes to take on the best racers out there. The core career gameplay takes you through 15 leagues and 150 races in 6 different game types, including Burnout-style takedown matches, time trials, elimination matches, and classic races.

The usual progression scheme is found in Asphalt 7: pick a car, win a race, earn rep, level up, access new cars and new races. Rep is earned depending on how well you race; the riskier your maneuvers, the more your combo meter goes up, the more rep you continue to earn. You have to keep up the fancy driving though, since your multiplier gradually drops over time.

Cars are broken up by tier depending on speed, and you get one car from each tier to start. This might be a redundant thing to say for a racing game, but these cars go fast. I've found the need for sharp reflexes are apparent even in the first level - moreso than most racing games I've played on iOS. The controls are nicelyto accommodate twitchiness without being overly sensitive (though you can adjust steering sensitivity in settings). I found drifting controls to be quite smooth and intuitive. Control style options spans the usual gamut, like accelerometer-based steering, tap steering, or manual gas and brake control.

As you race, you pick up cash, nitro, and speed boosts. A nitro meter gradually fills up as you drift, crash through destructable terrain, and whiz by civilian traffic. On a mostly-full bar, you can tap your nitro button three times to get going pretty quickly, or you can wait until it's completely full to enter the trippy Adrenaline mode, which gives you a massive speed boost and lets you plow right through the competition.

You earn in-game cash from winning races which can be spent up cars, upgrades, and pre-race power-ups (sponsors). You earn stars for completing challenges, which cycle and change as they're completed, and are awarded up to three stars for completing career events, depending on how well you do. Both stars and game currency can be acquired through in-app purchases. All cars are unlocked with stars and bought with the in-game cash. It's refreshing that stars are more of a progress indicator rather than a premium currency; in a lot of mobile games you have to save up premium currency for big purchases, then start again from scratch after you've spent it. It's definitely more in line with console racing games to earn stars as you go (though the option to buy them outright is strictly a mobile thing).

At the end of every race, Asphalt 7 hopelessly tries to get you to share your race results and achievements with Facebook for additional bonus rewards, which gets irritating very quickly if you've already decided not to spam your timeline with game stuff.

Threre's a broad array of customization available for each car, including paint job, decals, window tint, and plenty of performance enhancement for acceleration, speed, nitro, steering, and even armor.

The graphics are optimized for the new iPad's Retina display, and are ripe with detailed models, smooth animation, lens flare effects, dynamic reflections, motion blur, and a lot more. Asphalt 7 doesn't try too hard to be a true-to-life simulator like Real Racing 2, though - you'll find plenty of glowing power-ups along the track, and given the arcade feel of the gameplay, that look is totally appropriate. The music earns top marks - it's modern, fast, and sets a perfect mood for racing. As you might expect, all of these assets add up to a fair bit of room on your device (1 GB), so make sure you've got the room or you're willing to ditch another game.

The good

• Excellent, eye-popping graphics
• Gripping soundtrack
• Reliable, balanced controls

The bad

•  A little pushy with social sharing
• In-app purchases feel contrived
• There aren't enough hours in the day to keep playing this

The bottom line

For a buck, Asphalt 7 - Heat really burns rubber. Sure, it's on promotion right now and will likely get bumped up to $4.99 in the next couple of weeks, but at the current price point, it's obvious that Gameloft is betting that you'll end up spending cash on in-app purchases. The implementation is sound in that you certainly aren't required to buy anything in order to progress, but if you've already paid for the game, I'd rather not have to deal with the pre-game prompts for sponsored boosts. I get that they want me to burn through my in-game cash more quickly and make me feel the need to top-up with real money, but that basically boils down to a pay-to-win scenario. Honestly, this game doesn't need in-app purchases.

Equally pushy are the prompts after every race to share my results online for extra rewards. By all means, give me a pop-up letting me know about levelling up or my results, and sure, have an option to share to Facebook, but the dialog is still set up as "Do you want to share online?" rather than "Good work, you're awesome, let's get on with your next race".

Those niggles aside, Asphalt 7 delivers a really excellent racing experience on iOS. The graphics are sharp, the music is positively awesome, and the multiplayer is smooth and seamless.

$0.99 - Download Now

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Slingshot Racing is a great new iPhone and iPad racing game by Crescent Games with a few interesting turns you don't see every day. For one, it's a luge racing game, which is a refreshing change of scenery after scores of car racers available. Secondly, Slingshot Racing features fluid, precise, and surprisingly fun one-touch controls. See, every corner has a turnstile off the track which just spins continuously. As you approach, you hold down your finger on the screen, and your little racer harpoons to it, enabling you to slingshot around the corner and gain momentum. You have to be sure to release your touch at the right moment though, otherwise you'll just smash right into the inside wall.

Slingshot Racing features the usual spread of game types, including time trial, item collecting, competitive grand prix, as well as local multiplayer. There are 16 tours with 4 challenges each across 8 different tracks, all littered with a variety of power-ups and obstacles Each race is scored out of three bolt nuts, depending on how you place; new events are unlocked the more nuts you have, though you can go ahead and unlock all of them for $1.99.

Game Support exists for leaderboard and achievement tracking, but it would be really nice to see Slingshot Racing get online multiplayer up and running. It would be nice to have ghost bobsleds on the course replaying your friends' top result when you're trying to beat them, but that might be asking for a little much. iCloud saving is active, which is great considering Slingshot Racing really excels at local multiplayer on the iPad's big screen. I've had some issues getting my cloud sync to work, but it's on the feature list so I'll chalk it up to an isolated incident. The game is also universal, so you only have to buy it once to enjoy it on both your iPhone and iPad.

The graphics are polished and playful, with a distinctive steampunk feel. Textures and models are fully optimized for the new iPad's Retina display, which makes for a particularly sharp and smooth experience. The sound is equally nice, and includes fine details like the scratching of ice as you round a corner and the rickety jostling of grinding against your competitors. There's a decent variety of music, so there's nothing too mind-numbingly repetitive except for maybe the main menu screen.

I'm a huge fan of Slingshot Racing, though I'm finding its accolades for originality are a little steep as the gameplay is very similar to a free abstract action game released last year called Orbit1. Much like Orbit1 (and Beat Sneak Bandit, for that matter), it can certainly get a little repetitive using the exact same mechanic over and over, even if getting your timing down is still a significant challenge. Slingshot Racing still gets major points for applying the inertia formula to the racing genre and adding some top-notch graphics to the mix. It would be nice to see some added customizability aside from paint jobs and the handful of different chassis linked to them; I know it's hard to offer a lot of variety considering there's no acceleration or handling ratings you could adjust like in normal racing games, but maybe weight categories could differentiate how fast you come off of a slingshot, how much speed you lose after an impact, and how well you can handle impact with other racers or walls.

If you're bored of the same ol' racing games, Slingshot Racing is a breath of fresh, crisp, wintery air. Grab it now while it's on sale!

The good

• Elegant, simple controls
• Fun, sharp, and unique style
• Excellent local multiplayer

The bad

• No online multiplayer
• Sled customizability is shallow

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$0.99 (on sale from $2.99) - Download Now

Speed 2 for iPad is a new iPad app that converts your iPad into a speedometer while you drive. It features a gorgeous UI that integrates with Google Maps and will make you want to install your iPad directly into your dash.

Speed 2 has 4 main elements: the maps which take up the top third of the screen, and the compass, speedometer, and odometer in the bottom third of the screen. This area is like your dash. On the speedometer, you'll see a red marker that can be moved around. If you exceed the speed marked, the app will emit an alarm sound to alert that you're going too fast.

If you swipe your finger up the dash, it will slide up to reveal some options. Under the compass, you can select true or magnetic north. Under the speedometer, you can select an analog or digital display and enable/disable the speed limiter. Lastly, from this menu you can reset the trip or total of your odometer and select if you want to allow the app to track in the background.

Speed 2 require GPS as this is how it determines how fast you are traveling, so it's only compatible with 3G and LTE iPads. You also must have your 3G or LTE enabled in order for Speed 2 to work. This also means that Speed's performance is dependent on the strength of your connection. On Verizon LTE, Speed 2 worked perfectly for me.

The Good

• Gorgeous UI
• Slide-up panel is very convenient. It's nice to not have to navigate to a separate menu
• True North or Magnetic North
• Analog or digital
• Alarm will sound when you exceed a specified speed
• Tracks in the background
• Includes trip odometer
• Tap the speedometer to switch between miles, kilometers, and knots

The Bad

• Cannot insert addresses and map out directions

The bottom line

Combined with an iPad car mount, Speed 2 will be a great speedometer for your car. The UI is gorgeous and being able to view Google Maps at the same time is awesome. It's a shame that you can't retrieve directions to a destination, but Speed 2 can pair nicely with a turn-by-turn navigation app running in the background.

Now excuse me while I hunt for the best iPad car mount...

$2.99 - Download Now

Need something to help you stay awake after waiting in line all night for the new iPad? A bunch of new iOS games can help you out there. We've got the cream of the iPad gaming crop listed here; some are already optimized for the new Retina display, while others have updates on the way. Take a look at the list and stock up!

Infinity Blade II

While you're tapping your foot waiting for Infinity Blade: Dungeons to come out, you should be brushing up on Infinity Blade II with the new iPad. The franchise has long been a poster-boy for iOS gaming, and though the prequel promises to be great, Infinity Blade II has recently been updated to take full advantage of the new iPad's killer screen resolution.

The game takes you through a series of one-on-one pitched duels against guardians of an ancient tower. Swiping on the screen translates to different directions of attacks, which must be timed properly to get through an enemy's defenses and parry their attacks. You've got a wide variety of weaponry, armor, and magic at your disposal, which you gather over time by defeating enemies or biting the bullet with in-app purchases.  Enemies are randomized, making each play-through unique, but most of all, the game just looks really, really good. If you haven't already put a decent amount of time into Infinity Blade II yet, you really should.

$6.99 - Download Infinity Blade II

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy

Although Infinity Blade: Dungeons isn't available just yet, the other game Apple showed off at the new iPad announcement is Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy. It hit the App Store last night, offering new iPad owners a great flight combat simulator with some breathtaking visuals. Its's got full support for multiplayer so you can get into some intense dogfights with your buddies. There's also a campaign mode, and over 40 different jet configurations which you can tweak to suit your flying style.

Seeing as Apple had enough faith in this game to use it to showcase the new iPad's graphical processing power, I have a feeling Sky Gamblers; Air Supremacy will look and play great.

$4.99 - Download Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy

Shadowgun

Shadowgun is a third-person shooter that takes place in a dystopian future where mercenaries enforce corporate policies and engage in help executives eliminate competition. You play one bounty hunter who has been tasked with taking out a mad scientist who is creating an army of mutant warriors. You get a bunch of awesome sci-fi weaponry to plow your way through the hordes. While the gameplay is a traditional over-the-shoulder, shooting from behind cover style, the lighting in the game is particularly good-looking.

Shadowgun has is one of the more graphically-intensive mobile games out there, and should give you an idea of just how powerful the new iPad is - especially if you've played the game before on another device. Shadowgun was often used to showcase what Nvidia's quad-core graphics are capable of, and I'd be really interested in seeing its performance side-by-side with Apple's own quad-core GPU, especially once it's optimized for iPad-sized Retina resolution. Madfinger tells me  Shadowgun will be updated as soon as Apple starts selling the new iPad in the Czech Republic where they're based, which is on March 23. I gather that to mean they need to buy one to test with before they can get everything optimized, so we might have a bit of a wait on our hands.

$4.99 - Download Shadowgun

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

Although the Modern Combat franchise is a shameless "homage" to many of the military shoot-'em-ups available on PC and consoles, Gameloft has done a great job bringing the genre to mobile. If you've got a new iPad, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation stands a good chance of convincing you that yeah, maybe this thing actually can displace demand for Xbox 360 games. Modern Combat 3 has all of the trappings of your traditional first-person shooter: unlockable rewards, ranking up,  multiplayer, achievements, and customizable weapons and class kits. I particularly enjoyed the accelerometer control in the game, but it takes a fair bit of getting used to.

While Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation isn't yet updated for the new iPad, I've been told by Gameloft that the iPad version will be Retina-ready in the next week or so. Looks like the update just went live! Woo! Since it's going on sale now for $0.99 (down from $6.99), I'd say it's worth picking up.

$0.99 (on sale) - Download Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

Real Racing 2 HD

Real Racing 2 is arguably the best racing game available on iOS. It's got some exceptional textures, sensitive accelerometer-based steering, and great integration with Airplay for split-screen multiplayer on your TV. While I'm partial to goofier racing games, like Burnout Crash (which, coincidentally, is coming to iOS soon), Real Racing 2 is what you want to pick up for a classic, white-knuckled racing experience.

Real Racing 2 for the iPad is Retina-ready, and it's on sale! Buckle up and get downloading!

$2.99 (on sale) - Download Real Racing 2 HD

Mass Effect: Infiltrator

Although it's relatively new, Mass Effect: Infiltrator has proven to be one of the bigger titles launched on iOS recently. The game has a great tie-in with the Mass Effect 3 game on consoles and PC, while still being a great duck-and-cover shooting game in its own right. You play a human supremacist militant gone rogue in a sci-fi world about to be overrun by an intergalactic threat. As you blast your way through a plot of treachery and deceit, you upgrade your various high-tech weaponry, gather incredible new biotic powers, and make tough decisions which will come back to haunt you later on. For a closer look, chomp down on our review.

Mass Effect is a great franchise, and it keeps the production values high as it comes to iOS. The game is already optimized for the new iPad, so have at it!

 $6.99 - Download Mass Effect: Infiltrator

There is, of course, a big wide world of iPad games beyond this. Have you guys found any particularly great titles that have been updated to take advantage of the new screen resolution?

Smash Cops recently hit featured status in the App Store, and after playing it for a few days, I can see why. It's a deceptively simple racing game that provides excellent controls, fluid graphics, and has some signature local evening news flair to it.

The premise is that you're driving a cop car, and you have to chase down bad guys through a winding route, and ram into their vehicle often enough to make them crash. There's a healthy amount of variation on this theme, including timed challenges, obstacle courses to test your finesse, and scenarios where you're the one being chased. Whatever the goals of the level may be, you're usually provided with helpful waypoints at intersections so you know which direction to go. There's plenty of civilian traffic in the way, posing slight obstacles, but for the most part, they can be plowed through with little worry.

The default control scheme was fairly new to me. You press the screen behind your on-screen vehicle to adjust its steering, letting go to stop the gas, or tapping the screen with your other hand for a quick burst of speed. You can switch this up to a traditional virtual joystick, but the default is novel to play with, if nothing else. The controls are certainly intuitive, but I find they're often more challenging than they should be. At times, you can turn a corner very sharply, while at other times, you drift and lose a lot of control. There may be a trick to this that I'm just not getting, but so far it has made nimble driving difficult, especially in the obstacle course stage. Having played a bunch of Need for Speed on the PlayBook, I think an option for accelerometer control would be really nice.

The overall gameplay is still great. There's a real solid "Channel 9 Evening News" angle, where the camera following you is accompanied by the sound of a news chopper. Many of the UI elements are fashioned after TV fly-ins. I would have liked to see a few more unlocks beyond the five cars you made available over the course of gameplay. Maybe some vehicle tweaks to increase boost regeneration, or bump speed up a notch. There are a few microtransactions available, but they feel forced. For $4.99, you can unlock all of the vehicles without having to play through the game. For $0.99, you can pick up 3 Super Cops. These are one-shot upgrades the make your cop car awesome and help you blast through tough levels. While I appreciate being able to earn these in the challenge missions, I doubt my frustration would ever reach the point of spending money to beat a level, especially if I've already shelled out $2.99 for the game. Now, if there was a free version of Smash Cops, maybe with ads and fewer cars and missions, microtransactions might be a more viable route. Personally, I find the gameplay is polished enough that Smash Cops would do very well as a free title.

The graphics deserve top marks. The lighting is extremely realistic, the models are believable, the animation is fluid, and though the physics are a little exagerrated, it suits the gameplay. Fans of the Burnout series will definitely appreciate the scinematic slow-mo crash sequences. The only graphical problem I've had is that that after being flipped over, sometimes a robber's car will disappear and respawn further down the road. This makes sense if the wreck lands in undrivable terrain, but sometimes it doesn't, and the respawn screws up plans for follow-up attacks.

The audio is decent, but I really wish there was some high-octane racing music while you play. The menu screen has some great music and gets me in the mood to race, but once the game is launched, you're listening to a police siren and a chopper sound interspersed with the odd crinkle of smashed bumpers.

Overall, Smash Cops is a fast-paced, challenging racing game with polished gameplay and graphics. With a few control tweaks and increased depth for unlockables, I could see myself killing a lot of time with this game. For $2.99, you'll get your money's worth so long as losing a few times drives you to steely determination, rather than flipping over to another game.

• Excellent graphics
• Polished (though sometimes difficult) gameplay
• Good variety of game modes

• In-app purchases aren't compelling
• Limited variety of unlocks
• Controls are often too difficult

Overall, Smash Cops is a fast-paced, challenging racing game with polished gameplay and graphics. With a few control tweaks and increased depth for unlockables, I could see myself killing a lot of time with this game. For $2.99, you'll get your money's worth so long as losing a few times drives you to steely determination, rather than flipping over to another game.

As expected, Reckless Racing 2 is now available in the App Store. It is the sequel to the hugely popular racing game Reckless Racing which brought thrills and spills from the track as you slide you car around corners on dirt and tarmac.

• Probably the best power slides in the world
• Tune and tweak the performance, handling, tires, rims and colors of your cars
• Shader based game engine with normal maps, reflections, specularity, shadows, particles and more
• Improved and optimized shaders for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
• Online leaderboards with downloadable ghost cars
• Online multiplayer over the Internet
• 17 characters, including your favorites from Reckless Racing 1
• 5 control layouts with customizable button positions
• Optional assists, such as race lines, mini map, chase camera and more

Reckless Racing 2 is available as a universal binary running on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, iPod Touch 3 (16GB +) or iPod Touch 4. It costs $4.99 with additional content available through in-app purchase.

• App Store link

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

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Just get a new iPad 2 and curious which are the best, most must-have apps and games you need to install first? Want to really show off those new cameras or put that new super fast Apple A4 processor to the test? Well read on for TiPb’s top 5 most recommended, most must-have iPad 2 apps to get your started.

If you're brand new to iPad, be sure to check out our Top 10 iPad Apps to get you started with all the basics, from social to casual to creative. If you really want to stun your friends and family, however -- if you want to blow them away with your new iPad 2, then grab/update these next!

iMovie

When Apple debuted the iPad 2 they wanted to raise the bar when it came to iPad 2 software as well, and iMovie was their first salvo. Pull in video and photos via the decidedly tepid built-in cameras, from the Camera Roll, or from your iPhone, point-and-shoot, vidcam, or DSLR via SD or USB and the Camera Connection Kit and you're on your way. If you're familiar with iMovie '11 on Mac it's the same basic concept but completely touch-centric. You can mould your video as if you're working with digital clay. Clip and transition and modify the audio and title -- all in multitouch. *Universal app – buy once, use on iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and iPad 2.** [$4.99 - iTunes link]

GarageBand

Apple's second iPad 2 salvo is also arguably one of the best mobile apps ever made. While it also works on the original iPad it's even better on iPad 2. If you're familiar with GarageBand '11 on Mac... well this is a different animal almost entirely. You've got touch sensitive instruments that, thanks to the accelerometer, can even tell how hard you're hitting them. Strings, keyboards, and percussion from classic to electric are available both for you to play and in "smart" varieties to play along. You can also plug in your own instruments and record your own vocals and you've got 8 full tracks to mix it all down with. Even if you're not musically inclined, GarageBand will wow you. [$4.99 - iTunes link]

Real Racing 2 HD

Always on the cutting edge of Apple's latest hardware, the ADA award-winning team at Firemint wasted no time in releasing an iPad 2 optimized version of their flagship driving game. Gyroscope makes it steer better and the new PowerVR SGX 543 graphics chip in iPad 2 lets them turn the textures to overdrive. While the game may look and control better than ever before, it's still Real Racing 2 and that means great cars, exciting tracks, and more fun than you can throw a hyper car at. If only I could drive like the Stig! [$9.99 - iTunes link]

Infinity Blade

Not only did Epic provide great new content in the recent Deathless Kings update for their Unreal 3 Engine-powered fighter, they powered it up for iPad 2 as well. While the original Infinity Blade for iPad blew people away with its gorgeous, real-time 3D environments and kinetic gameplay, the iPad 2 version takes it not only to the next level, but the next generations. The textures look better than ever, the frame-rate is near flawless, and if it looked gorgeous before it looks darn well glorious now. (You can even plug in the HDMI adapter and let your friends watch the mayhem video mirrored on your big screen HDTV!). [$5.99 - iTunes link]

Dead Space HD

Dead Space HD was one of the best looking, most atmospheric, most intense first-person shooters (FPS) games we've experienced on iPad -- and now they've gone and enhanced the already impressive visuals for iPad 2. So yes, good things can get better... or scary things can get even scarier... either way! It's hardcore horror and that might not be for everyone but for those who've been aching for console quality FPS on iPad, we've taken then next big leap in that direction. [$6.99 - iTunes link]

Your top apps?

So there you have them, our top 5 best apps to show off your new iPad 2. Be sure to check out our Picks of the Week and iPad App and Games Forum for more recommendations, and if we missed any of your favorites leave them in the comments below!

Real Racing 2 for iPhone and iPod touch, the much anticipated sequel to Firemint's hugely popular, ADA-winning race game, will be hitting the iTunes App Store on December 16 with 30 licensed cars, a 16 car grid, and online races. The full feature list includes:

• 30 officially licensed cars
• 16 car grid against AI, and 16 player online racing – an iOS first
• Career mode with well over 10 hours gameplay and a range of event types
• Earn in-game currency to buy and sell cars, and buy upgrades
• 5 game modes: Career Mode, Quick Race, Time Trial, Local Multiplayer (8 players), Online Multiplayer (16 players)
• 15 locations with 40 miles of highly detailed race track
• Vehicle damage
• Online Save Game
• Game Center and Cloudcell integration, multiple profiles
• Wide range of control options
• HUD with minimap that can be turned on or off
• 5 camera angles including fully 3D cockpit view, and TV style replays
• Powered by Firemint’s exclusive Mint3D™ engine

It'll be priced at $9.99. Video after the break!

If your looking for a fun, simple racer with awesome graphics, then Reckless Racing HD might be for you. Playing this game reminds of RC Pro Am Racing on the original Nintendo, or NES. The premise is simple; beat other racers to win the championship.

The game is played with an overhead isometric view. There are several different control options, but I enjoy the default which is gas and break on the far right and left and right turn arrow on the left, the control is spot on too.

Starting off with the game you get a brief tutorial which also allows you to try out the different controls in real-time. Just tap the one you want to try while playing and you are good to go. Next, you can complete in a championship and more. There are three different classes to choose from; bronze, silver and gold. I personally had no challenge at all on bronze, so I bumped it up right to gold and had a blast. As you race there are obstacles to avoid, but the biggest challenge is just staying on the road! The game has you racing laps on dirt, gravel and paved roads and each feels succinctly different.

There are a few obstacles to watch out for while you race like cans, barrels and boxes. But what is great is that if you are a slick enough driver, you can discover nice shortcuts to help you through the level. The 8 tracks had me wanting a little more levels, though if you place first in the track you unlock the reverse course. I did find the three game modes (race, hot lap and delivery) to be fun as well.

The bonus with this game is with the multiplayer. You get 4 player racing online with Reckless Racing and it adds a whole other level racing with real people. You have leader boards and can save ghosts too. The only real issue I had with the multiplayer aspect is that you don't know if people are in the middle of a race till you enter their game. If they are racing, you have to wait till the race is over to join. I wish there was a way to see what games were already racing so you could find a game that much easier, or a quick match might work too.

Overall Reckless Racing HD is a blast to play, but is just shy of total greatness due to a few nicks here and there. However, I am sure EA will have new levels and cars with downloadable content soon.

[$4.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Fun, fun game
• A variety of levels
• Online multiplayer

Cons

• Additional levels would be nice, the variety is good, but I feel I race the same levels over and over
• A few quirks with multiplayer

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Gameloft knows how to take popular gaming genres, polish them to multitouch perfection, and release them faster than ought be possible, and the iPad release is no exception with N.O.V.A. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance; Modern Combat: Sandstorm; Dungeon Hunter; Asphalt 5; UNO; NFL 2010; Let’s Golf!; and, Real Football 2010.

Check 'em out after the break!

Here's what Gameloft has to say about developing for the iPad:

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