I'm sorry, just real quick. How do you feel about inanimate objects with facial expressions? Oh? I see, hmmkay. Well that's good, by all means then, continue reading.

Looks like another major publisher is going to give this whole dollar sale thing a shot. Ngmoco's popular award winning stacking game, Topple 2, went on sale for a buck today. The game debuted back in March for $2.99 and always seems to be on the tips of everyone's tongue.

For those unfamiliar with Topple 2 or the original Topple (no longer available) the game is in essence, a shape stacking game. You try to make the tallest stack possible without tipping it over. Within that basic gameplay mechanic though there are several additional ways to play. For instance stack attack pits you against a friend in real time to see who can create the biggest tower first, then there's upside-down mode where it inverts the games gravity. If you were a bit reluctant to give Topple 2 a try before here's your chance to get in where you fit in for only a dollar. Its iTunes page gives no indication on when this sale might end, so you might want to do it sooner than later.

Hooray for second chances! Mobigame's award winning title Edge , originally released last February, has made its way back to the app store after a brief absence. To make a long story short, a trademark dispute with video game magazine Edge was brought to attention and the game was temporarily pulled. Things have finally cleared up and the title is now back online for download as of late last week. The pleasure of giving Edge a new lease on life will cost you the same as it did before, $4.99.

If you haven't given Edge a shot you're really in for a treat. Think of like a newer, fresher, moderner, awesomer, cubified version of Marble Madness. You're in control of a color shifting cube trying to make it's way through some very clever and complex courses. The guys are Mobigames took the whole cubed course puzzler almost as far as they could possibly take it. You'll frequently smile (and curse) with some of theingenious pitfalls they managed to muster for you and your 6 sided friend. The production values are top notch, it handles great and there is little else like it currently available on the app store. At a current 4 star average user review on iTunes the people have spoken, Edge is great.

When Eliss ($2.99) was released last March I welcomed it with open arms. There really wasn't anything else like it in the app store and there still isn't. From the first time I laid eyes on it I was immediately drawn in. Not only does it fully commit to a retro, minimalist vision but you also get the sense that there was something of an auteur behind it's creation. Sure enough there was and his name is Steph Thirion. Steph's style is an aggregate of inspiration ranging from vector graphics, minimalist pixel art and modern graphic design aesthetics.

Eliss has more than just style going for it though. The gameplay is also worthy of a pat on the back.  Thirion describes the gameplay as the following..

Your job is to keep up harmony in an odd universe made of blendable planets. Touch-control multiple planets at once, join them together into giant orbs or split them up into countless dwarf planets, and match their size with the squeesars. Wipe off the stardust, resist to the attraction of the vortex and other space phenomena, and slow down the passage of time.

Eliss Lite was released last week and I urge anyone who is looking for something a little different from the conventional app store offerings to give it a go.

Who knew this whole "guide and avoid" genre would be so popular, eh? Firemint released Flight Control last March and has since amassed a rather large and hardcore following of would-be aviators. The sweet spot was hit rather precisely: It delivered a fresh experience that was easy to grasp, the gameplay bordered on infinite re-playability, it was pleasant on the eyes and to top it off the price was right at only a buck.

While Flight Control has tanned under the brilliant glow of praise over the last few months Imangi Studios has been in hiding (in what one can only assume is a dusty, poorly lit basement -- void of any such glow) brewing their own aquatic version of the game. And can you blame them? What developer doesn't want to bask under the warm rays of acclaim and be hand-fed grapes by masses of beautiful people? Has Imangi Studios managed to accomplished such a lofty task? Are they one step closer to greatness? Or is their newest title (pun alert!) full of leaks?

Harbor Master (99 cents) follows the same basic gameplay as Flight Control. Units (in this case boats) will propel their way into the harbor and it's your job to draw the path they'll follow to get docked (and subsequently unload their cargo). After a brief minute there will be several boats in the harbor at once and it's your duty as an honorable captain to correct paths as needed to avoid collisions.

As far as presentation goes Harbor Master, I feel, has a small leg up on Flight Control. The differences aren't too significant but overall the graphics are a bit cleaner, less cluttered and have a nice polish behind it. Having said that it would have been great to have seen art direction with a little more personality. That's more of an "in a perfect world" wish than suggesting something is wrong. On a technical level the visuals are fantastic and get the job done. Even the audio I favor slightly more, from the tune that plays in the background to the "line complete" chim. Everything looks, and sounds, right.

Harbor Master is a worth while contender that deserves to be up there in the ranks with Flight Control. While the changes aren't drastic they are incremental enough that fans of the genre should take notice. It's the little differences that will have me coming back and enjoying it time and time again.

Buka, released at the end of last month, had completely flown under my radar. Among the seemingly incalculable amount of games that are released on a weekly basis it had somehow slipped through the cracks. A shocker, right? In fact, up until yesterday I was unaware of it entirely. Hexage, Buka's creators, decided to release a lite version of the game and if it weren't for that I may have never come across it. Buka was the definition of a pleasant surprise. It's charming, looks great and, most importantly, is a delight to play. 

In Buka you control a lovable blue ball who is trying to reach 'The Happy Place'. Along the way you encounter a number of foes that are trying to keep you from getting to your destination. You're able to control your character by dragging it across the screen, albeit very slowly and with some float behind it. Not only can you dodge foes by dragging yourself to safe areas you can also tap the screen, charge a "pulse" and send it flying into the enemies direction. Depending on the enemy they will either disintegrate or break into a few different (harmful) pieces. Among the harmful pieces, however, you'll come across green bits of health which will come in handy should you rub up against a baddy. 

I found the lite version of Buka to be a nice little treat I previously knew nothing about. If you've got a spare minute be sure and give it a shot. And if you've found yourself wanting more you can pick up the full version for only a buck .