Back in the early and mid-90s, NBA Jam exploded in popularity in arcades and on home consoles everywhere with its over-the-top take on NBA basketball. Throwing down monster dunks, catching fire, and trash talking your opponent were all things that made NBA Jam such a blast back then, and that core entertainment was successfully transitioned into the franchise reboot that hit consoles in late 2010. Now an iOS version of NBA Jam [$4.99] based on the 2010 console version has hit the App Store, and despite a couple of omissions it overwhelmingly satisfies in every way if you were ever a fan of the original NBA Jam series.

The familiar NBA Jam gameplay returns here featuring a relatively rule-free game of 2-on-2 basketball with an emphasis on pulling off insane physics-defying dunks and ridiculous shooting sprees. Besides adhering to a 24 second shot clock and a no goaltending rule, pretty much anything goes in NBA Jam. Any player that makes 3 consecutive shots will then be "on fire" and during this time will make a higher percentage of shots, have unlimited turbo, and be immune to the goaltending rule. If you've played NBA Jam in the past, not a lot has changed here, but that's most likely for the best.

Visually the game looks stunning on iOS. The original NBA Jam was the first sports game to use character sprites that were digitized versions of real life players. The new NBA Jam takes this a step further, using 3D polygonal models for player bodies but high resolution photographs of the actual players' faces for the heads. The effect is hilarious, and a bit creepy, as the various NBA stars make an assortment of funny or intense faces during play. The player models are fluidly animated and the overall performance is fairly smooth, though there is the occasional stutter. The game is also optimized for Retina Displays, and looks especially crisp running on these devices.

The iOS version of NBA Jam uses a smart control system that works incredibly well. There's a virtual stick for movement, a turbo button in the opposite corner, and based on if you're on offense or defense a button for passing/stealing and another for shooting/blocking. Using your limited turbo meter not only increases your player's speed but also enhances your other moves, like turning a simple steal attempt into a full-blown shove of an opponent. This is cleverly and elegantly handled by holding down turbo and then sliding to one of the other two buttons, which works great in practice. There's a training camp mode which will run through all of these controls, as well as an alternate gesture-based control option, but the default controls were easy to pick up and are my preferred method.

The meat of NBA Jam is the Classic Campaign mode that has you choosing your favorite team and taking on the 29 other NBA teams as well as several additional hidden teams. You can choose 2 players from a pool of at least 3 current NBA players from every team, and some teams have 4 or 5 players to choose from initially. Every team also has at least one unlockable player, which typically includes classic players from the respective franchise and even some mascots. Besides the Campaign mode there is also a Play Now option that will throw you into a one-off game just for fun.

Sadly there is no sort of multiplayer component to NBA Jam on iOS. As fantastic as single player is, any multiplayer-centric game like NBA Jam is always best with human competition. An online multiplayer mode would be ideal, and even a local multiplayer option would suffice, but sadly it isn't in the cards for this initial release. Also missing are any of the Remix modes or mini-games from the console releases, which is a shame as they would seem a perfect fit on this platform.

At the end of the day, NBA Jam on iOS is just what you would expect it to be � a wonderfully updated version of the classic arcade game. It's missing some features, most notably a multiplayer component, but the single player offering is more than competent and a lot of fun. There are a ton of in-game achievements to earn which unlock loads of hidden players and special features like "Big Head" mode or alternate basketball styles. There's also an option to purchase these hidden goodies via IAP if you're unwilling to work for them through regular play. Players in our forums are loving this game as well, and if you were a fan of the original or just a fan of arcade-style sports games then NBA Jam is an easy recommendation.

Super Soviet Missile Mastar [Free] isn't the greatest game ever. That distinction goes to Super Mario Brothers 2 for the NES, obviously. But Super Soviet Missile Master is easily the second, fifth, or maybe even the 20th greatest game ever. Also, it's free, universal, and is now available on the App Store.

Sure, I'm kidding here. I'm blowing what the game has to offer you wildly out of proportion. In truth,�SSMM is just a basic "runner" type of game that instead of a person, has you guiding a Soviet-fired 8-bit-ish�missile around various obstacles until said missile reaches a rough outline of the US. At this point, the game just sort of starts over while keeping your missile progress. It's inspired, sure, but rather flat � the AI on the obstacles isn't outstanding, the levels are short and get familiar fast, and there's no depth to speak of.

But � and this is one of those huge, editorial-turning usages � this is an honestly�awesome joint. The look, the style, the tone, and the playfulness of the game make it a winner. I can't think of a better game at the moment to spend zero dollars on, so consider this an endorsement.

I should note here that The Behemoth, the indie developer behind Xbox Live Arcade success Castle Crashers, made this game. Don't miss it!

Disney is on the verge of releasing the third installment to the Jelly Car trilogy. We just got the heads up from them along with a video showing some gameplay along with a brief interview of sorts with Jelly Car creator Tim "Walaber" FitzRandolph. If you're a fan of the series, it's worth a watch to see what the original versions of the first Jelly Car looked like. (Did you know it originally was going to be an Xbox Live Arcade game?)

Jelly Car [Free] is still one of my favorite games, and worth downloading for the soundtrack alone. Its sequel, Jelly Car 2 [99� / HD] continues the magic, and the improvements in the Jelly Car 3 has me really excited for it.

Disney is telling us that it's being released tomorrow, which usually would mean that it's going to pop up on the App Store sometime later tonight. However, the standard tricks of looking for the game on international App Stores don't seem to be working, so we're not entirely sure when it is that Jelly Car 3 will be appearing. Either way, we can't wait to give it a try.

OK. So, SEGA is following suit with the other big publishers on the App Store and is now holding its own personal deal-a-thon. Now, until whenever, you can grab around 16 different SEGA games for 80 percent off the usual price or just 99 cents. And we're not just talking about the pub's stable of lackluster Genesis ports getting the cut here; those games are part of the deal, for sure, but there's also a few native gems mixed in.

There are too many games to do a meaningful breakdown with, but here's a list of what's being offered and the prices of each:

Altered Beast � $.99
Chu Chu Rocket! � $.99
Ecco The Dolphin � $.99
Golden Axe � $.99
Gunstar Heroes � $.99
Phantasy Star II � $.99
SEGA Columns Deluxe � $.99
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master � $.99
Shining Force � $.99
Sonic The Hedgehog � $2.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 � $2.99
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 � $2.99
Sonic Spinball � $.99
Streets of Rage � $.99
Super Monkey Ball � $.99
Super Monkey Ball 2 � $.99
Space Harrier � $.99
Virtua Fighter 2 � $.99

Not bad, eh? At this point, I'm not sure if we should say that the entire App Store is up for grabs, but it's getting close as all these publishers start racing to the bottom. Who knew that Valentine's Day would be giving us so much this year, eh?

Remember the iControlPad? We've been following its development since mid-2008. In early 2009, they released a video of the unit being used, and in November it was revealed that the product had undergone a complete redesign. Things have been relatively quiet on the iControlPad front since then, until recently, when they announced that they're taking pre-orders and plan to ship the original run of units in a week.

The bad news? Well, they make no attempt to hide the fact that you're going to be an early adopter, and admit that software that supports it will be scarce initially. There's also the fact that the iControlPad will set you back a hefty $74.99, and until developers start supporting it, using it will require jailbreaking.

The iControlPad does have some cool features though. First off, aside from its d-pad it sports enough buttons and analog nubs to make anyone in to emulation smile, and its internal firmware is completely upgradeable to support future features or workarounds to bypass various restrictions. Instead of any kind of proprietary dock port, it uses Bluetooth so it can work with basically any smartphone, console, or computer capable of connecting to it. It's also designed in a way that it's compatible with a number of different devices via a clever clamping system to hold all kinds of phones, and presumably other types of clamps could be released if a major form factor switch occurred.

We're trying our hardest to get our hands on an iControlPad for some kind of in-depth preview/review coverage, so if you're suffering from sticker shock at the $75 price tag, it might be best to wait until we run it through its paces before taking the plunge.

Street Fighter news that doesn't involve its appearance on the Nintendo 3DS is at a premium as Nintendo rushes its next handheld to market, so I'm pleased to report on this little story which involves something quite different: Street Fighter IV [$.99] for the iPod and iPhone is now being sold for under a dollar. That's like nine bucks worth of savings for a competent fighting game on a touch screen device. Not bad, right?

But, wait, there's more savings to go around. Capcom has also slashed the prices of several of its titles to the one-dollar mark. Here's the full list:

• Devil May Cry 4 Refrain
• Pheonix Wright
• Resident Evil 4
• Resident Evil 4 for iPad

Capcom notes in the new game descriptions that talk about the sales that these deals won't "last forever," suggesting the usual one-week kind of sale, but not really confirming the stretch the marketing folks plan to play the App Store charting game.

As is usual with these kinds of sales, I suggest grabbing what you want now. Street Fighter IV is a steal at this price, and Devil May Cry 4, which just hit the platform (review!), is a good buy considering what's being asked for it at the moment.