The cliché that nothing good in life is free can be especially true when it comes to to iOS games. Sure, every once in a while you stumble across a truly great free title, but there almost always is a catch. In the case of Ponos'�Ballistik Wars [Free], the catch is simple: it's ad-supported. For 99� you can get rid of the ads, and you'll want to, because they take up an annoyingly large amount of screen real estate.

So for all intents and purposes, consider your initial download of�Ballistik Wars a trial period. If you like it, you can get rid of the ads for an affordable price. It's as simple as that.

As far as the actual game is concerned,�Ballistik Wars is a stylized, cartoony castle defense game. As you play through you'll unlock new unit types and you can upgrade your castle and units as you go along. It's not just defense though, it's also attack � so when you break through the enemy defense you still have their castle to think of.

The bulk of the game is going to be recognizable to anyone who has played a castle defense game, but the upgrade path means it's easy to get stuck unable to beat a level. Unlike most castle defense games,�Ballistik Wars doesn't coordinate your energy consumption and unit type unlock together. This means that if you don't upgrade the proper components at the right times, you will be stuck unable to spawn a good counter-strategy. If you could grind, it wouldn't be a big deal, but losing means game over where you can only restart the level or start again from the beginning.

That said, once you get the hang of how everything works,�Ballistik Wars is a surprisingly deep game with simple mechanics. Strategy is almost more important than most castle defense games because it's not just about surviving against an enemy onslaught, it's also about attacking their defenses. You need to strategize with multiple stages of attack and defense in mind.

The interface, unit selection and upgrade paths means you'll have a lot of information to store in your brain to get the most out of�Ballistik Wars. Thankfully, the visuals are clean and the cartoon graphics keep things simple even in the chaos of battle. Most importantly, the unit types are diverse, so what you're selecting or what you're up against won't confuse you.

As you'd expect with a castle defense game, the units are each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are also certain units that work better together than others, meaning you'll want to save up and launch two unit types at once to take advantage of the synergy. As you're attacking, you'll get bonus points for completing small meta-goals and the higher your score, the more points you'll get to distribute to upgrade your units.

Ballistik Wars is a good castle defense game with an interesting attack layer to it. If it wasn't so easy to get permanently stuck by upgrading the wrong units, it'd be an easy recommendation, but as long as you're willing to pay special attention to what you're doing, you'll get a lot out of the game. It might look like a casual title, but there is a lot more strategy to it than a glance can reveal.

It's a shame that we received this announcement of Puzzle Family after our podcast was recorded for the week. Instead of the Bungie Aerospace news, this game and it's insane trailer would have been the leading story of the bunch. Before I delve into the specifics, take a gander at the trailer. It's better to go into this blind. Trust me.

That's hot stuff, right?�Puzzle Family has one of the weirdest trailers we've seen in a long, long time. Vivid, flashing, and possibly seizure-inducing lights? Check. Horrible animation, but adorable art? Check. Promise of insane antics in convoluted games? Check.

If the trailer didn't clue you in, Puzzle Family is a mini-game collection that puts you in the shoes of Akoo or one of his 20 fascinatingly eccentric family members through three initial mini-game experiences: block matching,�Guitar Hero-style rhythm tapping, and a puzzle memory exercise. There are a total of eight mini-games in all, five of which can be unlocked through an in-game currency (of sorts).

Puzzle Family will launch as a ad-based "free" download this July 7, but you'll be able to support the title and get a leg-up on unlocking the extra five modes and other in-game items by purchasing the premium ad-free version, Puzzle Family Starpack for $1.99.

I know it's all the rage these days to get down on Zynga for their timesink-centric free to play Facebook games, but they are responsible for some ridiculous numbers. CityVille in specific is responsible for nearly 2.4m "Likes" on Facebook, and according to Wikipedia was Zynga's biggest game launch and has set the record for most monthly active users for an application ever on Facebook. Considering just how massive Facebook is, an accomplishment like that is absolutely incredible.

FarmVille [Free] hit the App Store quite a while ago now, and set expectations for what to expect out of Zynga's efforts on the iPhone. Initially the client was a little limited, but you were able to connect directly to your own existing farm and manage your crops on the go. If you were a FarmVille fanatic, this was amazing news.

Unfortunately, the iOS CityVille isn't a CityVille client at all. CityVille Hometown [Free] has the basic frameworks of CityVille, and looks a lot like CityVille, but you'll be starting a brand new city entirely dependent of your (potentially) already existing city on Facebook. Maybe it's just me, but this makes CityVille Hometown go from vaguely interesting to downright confusing. The App Store already has entirely too many time sink-laden building games, and not having the same Facebook link as FarmVille did easily makes it blend into the pack.

So I guess if you just can't get enough of CityVille, and want to completely start over on your phone, CityVille Hometown is for you. This really makes me wonder what Zynga's ongoing strategy is going to be for mobile devices. It always seemed to me that leveraging and connecting to these massive already thriving communities would be too huge to pass up. Regardless, it will be fun to watch Hometown on the charts to see how it does.

Hope you like sales reports on this fine afternoon. Have another: Secret Exit, the dudes behind the original Zen Bound and its awesome follow-up Zen Bound 2, have cut the cost of Zen Bound and�Zen Bound 2 EVERYWHERE in celebration of "summer." Both are just 99 cents until July 11 on the App Store, while Zen Bound 2's digital releases on�Steam and the Mac App Store are priced at a dollar or less.

In case you've been living under a rock but, for whatever reason, have access to a smart device or a computer and the Internet, and don't know what Zen Bound is, here's a quick run-down. Like their namesakes state, these are meditative titles that on a singular simple task: wrapping rope around 3D sculptures. Seems like silly offerings on the surface, but I think you'll find their calming effects… well, effective.

• Zen Bound � $.99
• Zen Bound 2 � $2.99 ?�$.99

Also, their visuals are still some of the best on the market. If you don't believe me, that's fine. Just go check out our respective write-ups where, in addition to getting some hot screen action, you'll also learn more about the games.

Adult Swim Games isn't above creating games that revolve around mechanical unicorns, horrible electronic music, and air dashing through concrete stars. It also isn't above July 4 sales, as if that was an actual surprise as opposed to a writer's early morning contrivance.

So, what games are on sale? A lot. In fact, most of the studio's vast App Store library has been cut to mere pennies in celebration of Independence Day. Let's take a look:

• Amateur Surgeon -$2.99 ?�$.99
• Amateur Surgeon for the iPad - $2.99 ?�$.99
• Amateur Surgeon 2 - $2.99 ?�$.99
• Floater Pro - $.99
• Meowcenaries - $2.99 ?�$.99
• My Li'l Bastard - $1.99 ?�$.99
• Robot Unicorn Attack - $1.99 ?�$.99
• Robot Unicorn Attack HD - $1.99 ?�$.99
• Robot Unicorn Attack: Heavy Metal Edition - $1.99 ?�$.99
• Spell My Finger � $.99

At this point, I'm not sure if there's a man alive that has gone without Robot Unicorn Attack but if you, somehow, missed this title buy it immediately. No excuses, bud. It's one of the funniest and oddly compelling titles on the App Store. Amateur Surgeon is pretty good, too, if you're into Atlus' Trauma Center franchise.

It's the season for savings as the US' July 4 Independence Day celebration nears. Not to be left out of the chart-breaking action is Gameloft. As of this morning, the homage-specialists are offering a stable of some of its sharpest titles like NOVA 2 and Asphalt 6 at a mere 99 cents instead of their usual three-dollars-and-up price points. Good savings all around, though less titles that we expected.

To be frank, we're not sure when these sales will end. Logic suggests, of course, around July 5, but it'd be wise to jump on these ASAP if any of the follow tickles you:

• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD -�$6.99 ?�$.99
• Dungeon Hunter 2 � $6.99 ?�$.99
• Dungeon Hunter 2 HD � $6.99 ?�$.99
• NOVA 2 � $6.99 ?�$.99
• NOVA 2 HD � $6.99 ?> $.99
• Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden � $6.99�?�$.99
• Shrek Kart � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Shrek Kart HD � $4.99 ?�$.99
• Starfront: Collision � $2.99 ?�$.99
• Starfront: Collision HD � $6.99�?�$.99

Out of all of these, I'd choose NOVA 2. As much as it pains me to enjoy a product that so shamelessly apes Bungie's Halo, NOVA 2 is a solid FPS title with a good sense of scale and pacing. It even controls pretty well for a genre game, which is more than what you can say about a lot of the FPS fodder on the App Store.

I was really excited when Capcom announced at E3 this year that their wildly successful Street Fighter IV [$4.99] for iPhone would be getting a follow up title called Street Fighter IV Volt [99�]. I've been a huge Street Fighter fan for the majority of my life, and the original iPhone version is easily my favorite fighter in the App Store. It was a pretty big deal when it first released back in March of last year, not only because it was such a huge IP but also because it proved that a traditional fighting game could be done well with virtual controls. Capcom fed a steady stream of updates to Street Fighter IV over the past year which have added new characters and features to the game, keeping it on top of the iOS fighting heap.

Now with Street Fighter IV Volt, Capcom has extended the long standing Street Fighter tradition of releasing an incremental update as a new game. What you're getting with Volt is essentially everything that was already in the first Street Fighter IV, right down to mostly identical graphics and sounds, plus a few additional features and 3 new characters � Cody, Balrog and Vega. These minor enhancements are nice, but the big selling point of Volt is the inclusion of online competitive multiplayer over WiFi, which was easily the most requested feature of the first game.

By default you are set up to accept any online challenges that might be out there. This means that if you're running through the arcade mode you might suddenly get interrupted with a challenge from a random player online who's searching for a match. This ensures that there should always be a pretty large pool of players to match up with when you feel like throwing down online, and it also gives it that old-school arcade feeling of having a complete stranger walk up to your arcade cabinet unexpectedly and issue a challenge. Of course, it would be hard to even make it through arcade mode with constantly being interrupted with matches, so thankfully you can easily switch the auto-acceptance on and off at will.

As for the actual experience of competing online in Street Fighter IV Volt, so far it leaves a lot to be desired. Random matches are easy enough to find even in this early stage of the game's release, but they are usually plagued with lag and are prone to randomly disconnecting. Sometimes the online works near flawlessly, and when it does it's absolutely brilliant. But more often than not you'll be subjected to jittery animations and momentary freezes that can really disrupt the flow of a game.

Even with the lag matches can still end up being a ton of fun, but it's hard realistically gauge either players' actual skill level when playing under those conditions. I'm hoping things will smooth out as more players pick up the game and jump online, but currently it's hard to consider it anything more than just a novelty rather than a serious competitive online experience.

One pretty interesting new aspect to Street Fighter IV Volt is something called Wandering Warrior. This mode has you creating an avatar for your multiplayer profile which can be leveled up and upgraded in an almost RPG-like fashion. Then, while you're facing an opponent in an online or local multiplayer match, your avatar will square up against your opponent's avatar and they'll duke it out as well. Special points are earned during multiplayer matches which can be put towards upgrading your avatar and unlocking new icons and badges which grant new abilities and enhancements. It's a pretty cool little meta game that's a fun side distraction to throwing down against people in multiplayer.

Despite its spotty online performance and content that is heavily recycled from the first game, Street Fighter IV Volt improves on what was already a successful formula and is the definitive version to own on the App Store. If you aren't very interested in its online multiplayer or the 3 new characters, then you may be fine just skipping Volt and sticking with the original for getting your quick Street Fighter fixes on the go.

The one wrinkle to this advice is the fact that Capcom is currently running an introductory sale for Street Fighter IV Volt. It launched for just 99�, and the price will increase by a dollar each day for the next several days before hitting its regular price of $6.99. Even if you already own the first game and the new features don't totally interest you, I'd still suggest picking up Volt if you can snag for just a dollar or two. It may be a bit harder to justify the upgrade when it hits full price, however.

Street Fighter IV Volt is mostly just more of the same, but that's not such a bad thing since the original release was so good. The highly anticipated online multiplayer isn't quite up to par technically, but it can still provide some pretty entertaining moments. Hopefully the online performance can be improved over time, as there is plenty of potential for one of the best multiplayer experiences on the App Store.

Glu Mobile's Gun Bros [Free] now has even more features, including a real-time co-op element that's sure to tickle fans of the F2P dual-stick shooter.

Available this morning, the update adds "BRO-OP," the long-awaited co-op compliment to the game that, before, had to lean on imported AI copies of friends. The mode supports play over 3G and Wi-Fi, by the way, so all your bases should be covered.

In a cool twist, Glu has also added in voice chat to mix, which should go a long way in the coordination efforts between you and your partner.

Combat has received some attention with this update as well. At the top end, the game can now boast about having a better, more fluid auto-aim system. More importantly, it can also scream that it supports even more guns and armor. The new stuff looks just as crazy as everything else in the game. As a side-note, I'm totally stoked for that "Diabolical" set � check out those bat wings! Killer!

For the jaded among the Gun Bros crowd, Glu Mobile has also laced this update with an important new feature, Daily BRO-OP challenges. Upon completion, you'll be rewarded with extra in-game cash, which should stave off the desire to actually buy stuff with real money to some extent.

Looking good, right? I'll have to jump into Gun Bros again. Oh! And check out our message board thread on this update if connecting with someone is enticing to you.

Kairosoft's Game Dev Story [$1.99 / Lite] is now cheaper than what it was. For a limited time, and in celebration of the release of Pocket Academy [$3.99 / Lite], the quirky simulation game that puts you in the shoes of producer, administrator, and game developer is $1.99. That's a 50 percent savings from the regular price of $3.99.

If you listen to our podcast, you know that I'm a ridiculously huge fan of GDS. If I could, I'd erect a statue in its name in front of my apartment complex and praise it each morning before I start work or make some coffee. It's good in all the right ways and has a level of depth and cunning that few simulation games, especially on this platform, tend to have.

Our review, of course, is glowing if you're interested in a… critical dissection of the title instead of my lunatic ramblings in a news article.

In other news, but not-so-recent news, GDS has received a few updates since it's initial release. For example, it now supports Game Center and its leaderboards functionality. You can also now switch the language back and forth between it's native language Japanese and the English translation, which might actually prove to be helpful considering that some of the translation work is shaky at best.

Pocket Academy, by the way, is another excellent Kairosoft simulation, combining the same quirk from GDS, except applied to a school.