id Software has tinkered with the price of DOOM Classic [$1.99] more than ten or so times since its release in mid-2009, but it hasn't thrown in an update or tweak… until now. I'm still kinda stunned that the studio even bothered considering the age of this iteration of the shooter, but I'm also pretty jazzed about version 2.0, which adds retina support, universal support, a new menu layout, and a few "minor bug fixes."

If you weren't on the ground floor of the App Store's coming out party, you may have missed this entirely. I guess the good news in this particular regard is that DOOM Classic's price has been reduced now, too, from $6.99 to just $1.99. Deal!

We've little indication of why either the price drop or the update have happened. I can't even conjure a solid marketing reason � id has been crunching on RAGE as it finally spirals towards a release, but the fledgling series has nothing to do with the DOOM, so there's no immediate gain. Regardless, DOOM Classic is now cheaper and better and that's pretty cool.

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A couple of weeks ago, we sat down with Semi Secret Software's Adam Saltsman. One of the many topics we covered in the conversation was, of all things, Wurdle [$1.99]. It's another word game but it's remarkable because it was one of the first big word game productions to hit the now-word-game cluttered App Store. After assaulting us with his thoughts about developing this initial title, he also dropped that a new update was in the works � an update that would bring Wurdle into this era of the App Store. That update is now available. PSI Rockin'.

In a nutshell, version 3.0 of Wurdle is a catch-up upgrade. The game now boasts new retina display artwork and Univeral app functionality. More importantly, Game Center multiplayer has been added, as well as same-screen multiplayer for the iPad variant. You can also set time limits, look up word definitions, and even pass-and-play locally on both versions.

The kicker here is that it's still $1.99, which is a pretty solid price for a good game with a crazy legacy and, obviously, the support of its developer. Check it out if you're in the mood for some word hijinks or just like looking at pretty retina artwork.

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Awesome Saucer [$1.99] slipped stealthily into the App Store a couple of weeks ago, without receiving much attention, but this well-presented 3d space-shooter deserves some acknowledgement. Nebuleux Games has used a unique graphical style, which makes it a memorable experience to play. And because it's universal, you can install it on your iPad and iPhone. Here's the low down…

You're a saucer pilot, responsible for flying the SCR-090 space fighter. It's an old-fashioned flying saucer, shaped like a frisbee, as often portrayed circa the 1950s. You fly around space, tracking, targeting and destroying the required quota of aliens to clear each area. Do it fast enough and you earn bonus points and unlock weapons. It's basically a dogfight situation, in space. This is an arcade-style game, so there's no story, missions, trading or traveling to specific locations. Instead, you simply score points by blasting aliens. When your shields hit zero, it's game over and you restart from scratch.

The graphics are, as the title suggests, quite awesome, in terms of their uniqueness. The enemies resemble glowing stars, which leave colorful trails, which are helpful for tracking them down. The default view is third-person perspective, looking from behind your saucer, however you can switch to first person perspective by tapping the screen. There's also crystalline asteroids to dodge or shoot.� The background graphics, such as particle clouds and interplanetary skies will make you pause mid-battle to check out the awesome scenery. Movements are all smooth, fast and responsive. And if you hit the 'boost' button, things get even faster for a few seconds, with an acceleration effect. At times the game does get a little too fast, and that's on easy mode!

There's a heap of weaponry systems (12 types) and you can try them out in the free-roaming tutorial. Weapons include a rapid-fire proton-burst, gas attacks, 360 degree lazer targeting and graviton missiles. Some games offer two or three weapons slots, but in Awesome Saucer your craft can be loaded with all of the weapons simultaneously.� The weapons auto-fire when an enemy is in range and targeted, so you can focus on navigating rather than mashing the fire button, although there's a manual fire button too. Now, need something to shoot? There's at least eight different enemies. Some are fast, others aggressive, some swarm, while kamikaze extra-terrestrials will chase you down and attempt to physically ram into your saucer.

The controls are a little different, with a left "flight stick" for steering and a right stick to rotate your saucer, so it rolls like a fighter jet. I didn't understand why the rotate stick was required, until the developer explained "It helps you turn faster, and rotating can help you track a target by spiraling in. But mostly it just looks cool". There's also buttons for braking and changing weapons.

If you took away the stunning graphics, Awesome Saucer would be less awesome and more ordinary. The gameplay is fairly shallow, a bit repetitive and doesn't provide a great feeling of progression, as there's currently no story, career mode, achievements or rankings and each game starts from scratch. Although, the game does track your overall kill statistics and the developer advises Game Center integration will be a priority update.� Fortunately, the graphics transform Awesome Saucer from an average dog-fighting game, into a visual experience, which is why it caught our attention. E.T might need to "phone home" to warn the galaxy, because I'm about to board my saucer!

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"Soon" seems to be the default for every iOS game release announcement, and that constant holds true for Forever Drive. In a conversation over e-mail, a representative from Supermono Studios told me that the open-world, sandbox-y racing game is about to enter certification, which can take weeks. "We're very close," he said.

While I can't get you a release date thanks to Apple's crazy complicated and often lengthy processes, I can try to paint you an accurate word picture of the online element of the game and how it informs everything in Forever Drive, including racing mechanic and its systems. It's just that vital to the experience.

So, here's the deal. Forever Drive's hook is that it has a distinctive and�inseparable�user-creation element. Like LittleBigPlanet, creative users will be able to tap out their own levels and then share them with the game's community at large. In Forever Drive, you'll be asked to create pieces of racing tracks, which is an important distinction to make, as each piece will eventually be procedurally combined into a much bigger, but singular "mad uber-highway" in the game's fast-paced driving component dubbed "DRIVE."

Provided enough people create in the game, the track you race on might be the product of tens of thousands of user creators. I was told to think of this highway as a playlist of sorts where only the best and brightest will be added to the uber-track. Supermono plans to dish out rewards of in-game currency and unlockable items to the best creators, who will be, essentially, providing the Forever Drive experience to everyone.

"What we've tried to create is a very streamlined experience � something a little different from the "load a track, do 3 laps, stop, repeat" gameplay that's become almost universal in driving games," he said.

" We're trying to create something that feels more like an epic journey, with that feeling of discovery and wonder you get driving fast into an unfamiliar land…"

In our original coverage I almost used the word "MMO,' and I wish I would have. If Forever Drive actually works well, it'll have a sense of persistence that we only typically see in MMOs. I think the core conceit that will be displayed is really special and I can't wait to see it in action. Count me in, Supermono.

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