App Store Update: July 27

Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.

Bar Oasis 2 – ($2.99)

Bar Oasis is one of those games that absolutely shouldn’t work, but somehow does. The experience is one part virtual cocktail maker, one part interactive novel. Players will meet and interact with a variety of characters while learning to master more than 100 (virtual) cocktails. The highly-anticipated sequel is finally here, offering up a new bar adventure.

 

Total Recall Game – ($0.99)

Movie fans that can’t get enough of Total Recall’s 2084 future vision can now dive in even deeper with this on-rails shooter tie-in game from Jump Games.

Bitless – ($0.99)

Bitless represents platforming distilled down to its most elemental state. Gamers not bothered by Atari-age graphics should get a kick running and jumping through the game’s 50 stages.

 

Brickshooter Egypt – ($2.99)

Playrix is back with another promising casual puzzler. If it’s anywhere near as good as the company’s surprise-hit Royal Envoy, it’s worth a spot on your iDevice.

 

LostWinds – ($0.99)

Frontier’s whimsical 2D platformer can once again be nabbed for $0.99. If you’ve missed its previous sales, don’t put it off any more. LostWinds is fantastic.

 

LostWinds 2: Winter of the Melodias – ($0.99)

Frontier’s season-switching sequel can also be grabbed for $0.99 for a limited time.

Sid Meier's Pirates! for iPad – ($0.99)

The star of 2K’s big App Store sale is undoubtedly the Pirates! iPad port. This is a ridiculously large amount of swashbuckling available for just $1.

 

Civilization Revolution – ($0.99)

If Pirates! is the star of 2K’s big sales, Civ Rev is a very close second. The franchise’s deep turn-based strategy is a perfect fit for touch-screen play.

 

Around the World in 80 Days – (Free)

Playrix’s classic puzzler is available for free – no catch!

 

Galaxy on Fire 2 HD – ($4.99)

Some gamers skip Fishlabs’ incredible Galaxy on Fire games due to their (relatively) high price. But for $5 GoF 2 is a steal. It’s the best space sandbox game on the App Store.

 

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Justin is Editor of IGN Wireless. He has been reviewing cell phone games since the dark days of Java flip phones. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.