puzzle

In a world of cookie-cutter cookie cutters, it is not uncommon to find uninspired shapes. But then again, who cares? Cookies are delicious; it doesn't matter how they are cut. End of conversation. Except it does kind of matter; cookies not cut into circus animal shapes may taste the same, but don't tell that to the kids (or the adults who lamented the near death of that classic cookie). But even more unforgivable than carbon-copy cookie cutters, is when they become unrecognizable shapes. That is unless they combine to form a new whole.

The 3D Dinosaur Cookie Cutters from Suck UK … Read more

King.com, a fast growing developer of Facebook games, unveiled its second Facebook synchronized mobile game tonight, displaying the type of gaming experience Facebook says its wants more of.

King said that Candy Crush Saga, which has nearly 5 million daily active players and 15,600,000 monthly active players on Facebook, launches on mobile in November.

Sean Ryan, Facebook's director of games partnerships, said the game is an example of how popular Web games can successfully translate to mobile games. Candy Crush Saga will be available on iOS devices and synchronized with Facebook. This means players can pick … Read more

Amazing Alex (99 cents) for iPhone or Android is a physics game where you're challenged to create chain reactions with objects to complete objectives. Our hero, Amazing Alex, is a kid who's stuck cleaning his room and tries to get creative with organizing his belongings by building Rube Goldburg-like devices.… Read more

I often write about action games in my collections, and it's no secret I'm a fan of the racing-game genre as well. But another genre I like to play while on my commute is mind-twisting puzzle games. A new game was released a few days ago that has jumped to the top of the charts at iTunes App Store and it has all the bells and whistles to remain a hit.

Though puzzle games come in a lot of different forms, one of my favorite types is those that use realistic physics. Some of the best I have come across use liquid physics and require you to experiment in order to solve each puzzle.… Read more

Shark Dash is another in a long line of Angry Birds clones, but offers enough variation in gameplay that it will appeal to any physics puzzle addict.

Like many sling-shot games, the goal with Shark Dash is to pull back, then fling your hero (in this case, a cute shark) to collect or destroy items in as few shots as possible. Also like Angry Birds, the storyline is simple: the evil rubber duckies have stolen Sharkee's girlfriend, Sally, and now Sharkee is exacting revenge while taking out the rubber duckies that continue to taunt him. Sound familiar? It's … Read more

With each turn in Triple Town, you are given an object -- grass, a bush, a tree -- to place onto your 6x6 playing board for use as a building block. Place three of the same object next to each other, and they'll combine to form a single, more valuable object. Three patches of grass make a bush, three bushes make a tree, three trees make a house, and so on. Your goal is to build the most advanced town possible before all the slots on your board fill up.

The difficulty of Triple Town lies in planning ahead, … Read more

What makes a game addictive? Obviously your answer to that question will depend on what type of games you like to play, but certain games have a way of breaking down those barriers when they have just the right mix of challenges, rewards, and overall feel.

If you had never heard of Angry Birds, a description of the game probably wouldn't entice you to play. But once you fling your first bird at a structure and hear the sounds as it flies through the air and takes out the pigs, suddenly you start to want to chase that perfect three-star rating. Few games have just the right mix to keep you playing, but when you find one you can't wait to jump back in whenever you get a spare moment.… Read more

With the incredible success of the original Angry Birds, few iOS gamers were probably surprised that Angry Birds Space would rocket to the top of the iTunes Store's list of paid apps. I've been playing the game quite a lot over the past 24 hours, and though I've noticed some bugs (kill all pigs with one bird to get one star, anyone?), the new gravity fields, interesting levels, and new bird types definitely add something new to the game.

Angry birds isn't the only game in this genre, however. When Angry Birds took off at the iTunes App Store, several developers came out with their own version of the sling-shot game mechanic and many brought new elements to add to the fun.

This week's collection of iOS apps are all Angry Birds-like destruction games, but each have an interesting twist on the original game mechanic. The first offers a heavy metal theme as you smash monster trucks into structures. The second lets you blast ragdolls through intricate levels towards a target. The third mixes game genres to add liquid physics into the equation making for unique challenges.… Read more

Angry Birds Space feels at once familiar and fresh. Unlike the previous sequels, which were pretty much the same game in different settings, Angry Birds Space puts a new spin on things with gravity-oriented physics, new obstacles to navigate, and bonus levels that add to the fun.

The gravitational mechanic in many of the levels adds a completely new element to how you approach each level. A flung bird might curve around a moon in one direction and then curve the other way once it passes into the next moon's orbit. It can also get caught in a gravity … Read more