Free iPad Games

Last year, 2K Games broke the premium game mold on the Apple App Store when it released XCOM: Enemy Unknown to the iPhone and iPad for $20, and now along with Firaxis Games, the company is launching XCOM: Enemy Within as a standalone app for mobile devices. Enemy Within was originally released as a downloadable expansion pack for the Windows and OS X version of Enemy Unknown. The expansion included new features such as new resource, called "Meld" and the ability to "modify operatives of existing classes to give them superhuman abilities," according to Wikipedia.

"In XCOM: Enemy Within, players can return to the XCOM universe, where they’ll encounter an assortment of new content including powerful new weapons, abilities, and strategies, and confront a host of dangerous new alien threats", said Ananda Gupta, lead designer at Firaxis Games.

DeNA's free-to-play Star Wars game is now available for iOS devices. Star Wars: Galactic Defense is a tower defense title where players can choose to play as either the light or dark side. The game features pretty standard tower defense game play, where players have three towers and one champion to defend their base. Players can also connect with Facebook to exchange resources with their friends.

The game includes all the standard Star Wars characters such as Han Solo and Yoda. You begin the game with Luke Skywalker as your champion and can unlock others as you advance through the game. There are a total of 18 Rebel and 18 Galactic Empire champions to unlock.

Pokémon TCG Online has finally landed on the U.S. App Store after soft launching in Canada and slowly rolling out over various iTunes regions earlier today. PTCGO is based on the original Game Boy Color game that was eventually turned into an online version for Mac and Windows. Not only is this the first Pokémon game released to iOS devices, it is also exciting news because the Pokémon Company is a subsidiary of Nintendo. As most Nintendo fans already know, the company has expressed much disinterest in releasing mobile versions of their games.

Pokémon TCG Online requires an internet connection to work, and it only supports iOS 7.0 or later running on an or iPad 3 or later and iPad mini with Retina display. It is a trading card game where players can play head-to-head or against a computer opponent to unlock more cards to build the ultimate Grass, Fire, or Water decks.

Disney has finally released Star Wars: Commander to the U.S. App Store. The new Star Wars title was originally soft launched in Australia a few months ago. Unfortunately the game is a free-to-play, base building title much like Clash of Clans. This means it is full of timers and in-app purchases instead of anything fun.

The game includes the usual features found in most timer-based strategy titles. The only twist on the genre is that players can choose to join either the Empire or the Rebellion. Players can then train troops, build defenses and team up with other players to attack other bases. Here's the official description:

"During a time of Galactic Civil War, competing forces need allies for their cause. The Rebellion rallies for justice and freedom, while the Empire seeks control of the galaxy. Where does your allegiance lie? Will you side with the Empire’s strength and relentlessness, or the Rebellion’s heroism and resourcefulness? The choice is yours!"

Blizzard Entertainment has released a preview for some of the cards from the first Hearthstone expansion, Curse of Naxxramas. The first wing of Naxxramas, the Arachnid Quarter, opens tomorrow for free, and will be followed by four additional wings each week. The four additional unnamed wings will cost 700 per wing or $6.99 per wing to open.

The Naxxramas wings will also be available in bundles for those interested in buying all five at once. The bundles do not offer any special benefits, such as early access, but they will ensure that you will get immediate access when each wing opens. Players who use gold to purchase an individual wing will also have the option to buy smaller bundles. For example, if you unlock the Arachnid Quarter wing for free tomorrow, and decide to buy the second wing for 700 gold the following week, you will be able to pay the 3-wing bundle price for the remaining wings.

Blizzard announced today that Naxxramas will begin opening its gates starting with the Arachnid Quarter on July 22. The Naxxramas is part of the first Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion being released for Windows, Mac and iOS. The adventure involves a floating necropolis with five wings that will be opened weekly. The Naxxramas is "home to a host of undead bosses ready to challenge worthy opponents," according to the original blog post.

The first level will be free to play during the month long launch event. The next four levels will then be available for 700 gold per wing or $6.99 USD per wing. Players will also be able to defeat the bosses Anub’Rekhan, Grand Widow Faerlina, and Maexxna to earn new cards to add to their collections and unlock "heroic mode" when they defeat all five levels. There will also be Curse of Naxxramas bundle packages for those who want to pre-order all five wings. You can learn more about the Curse of Naxxramas here.

Gameloft's free RPG, Dungeon Gems, is now available on the App Store. The official App Store description calls it a "fast-paced puzzle" game with "strategic RPG-style party management". The game features a match-three battle system where players use their finger to link colored runes to unleash attacks. Matching three of the same colors results in a normal attack, while matching three differently-colored runes sparks a multi-element attack.

The game also features the ability to power up your characters so you can "evolve them into new legendary forms", 220 warriors for you to summon, and a multi-player option where you can team up with other players to defeat your enemies.

The developers behind the hit PC game Worms are back with yet another simple, but addictive, title for iOS devices called (R)evolve. The game is now available for free on the App Store. In (R)evolve, players must spin a planet to protect its evolving life from a constant bombardment of meteorites.

Life on the tiny alien planet begins with one seed and eventually develops over time as you survive each wave. For example, your seed will grow into little person who eventually invents defenses against the meteorites. (R)evolve is the perfect game for people who enjoy simple but challenging games like Flappy Bird.

When used in the same sentence, the words "free-to-play" and "resource management" normally raise a few red flags, and that's basically what Ubisoft did on its official blog on Tuesday. Ubisoft announced that it is collaborating with Mi’pu’mi Games to bring the popular 1998 PC title Anno to the iPad.

The iPad version called Anno: Build an Empire is being built from the ground up specifically for mobile devices. The game is a lot like other resource management title, like Sim City, where you're tasked with building an empire while starting from nothing. Players must build homes, taverns and other useful buildings to keep their peasants safe, happy and and prosperous.

The free-to-play puzzle game Pac-Man Monsters is now available for both iOS and Android devices. The game looks and feels a lot like Final Fantasy but with Pac-Man-inspired characters. Players must lead a party of pac-people to restore peace to Pac Land after it is invaded and looted by a new enemy.

The official App Store description claims the app is for people who are "looking for easy to play games," but Pac-Man Monsters is really involved. The tutorial itself takes forever to explain all the parts of the game which includes leveling up characters, assigning skills, hatching new heroes and so on. It seems like you spend more time setting things up than actually playing the game itself. While this isn't really a bad thing, especially if you enjoy RPG games, the actual game play isn't really that inspiring.