Our all-seeing eye is fond of artistically gifted games, and Catch the Princess is the latest to be caught in its steely gaze. Imagine, if you will, a side-scrolling puzzle game that tries to capture all the essence of rustic fairy tale imagery, and then pairs that with deliciously crafted Cut The Rope-style play. That's the pitch for Catch the Princess in brief, and we're thinking this is something you'll want to look out for, too.

As you'll see in the reveal trailer, Catch the Princess is dark and gloomy in all the right ways, and appears to have the mechanical might to match its inspired tone and art direction. The game launches next week for the iPhone and iPad and will boast around 60 levels filled with rusty chains, bellows, soft lighting, and princess-saving action. Get your eyeballs on these screens:

In case you wanted to know, this is being crafted by Robots and Pencils, an outfit based in Calgary. If you're big into Minecraft World Explorer [$.99], then you already know these guys. We've been told that we'll be hearing a lot more about this studio in the near future, and provided Catch the Princess rocks, we'll pair some ears with our eye. Somehow.

Toxic Blob's puzzle-meets-strategy game Sin or Win feels like it has some issues with its actual execution, but it's ultimately an entertaining-enough game that presents a really cool idea: moral choice as a viable, fundamental game-changing mechanic.

In games like Mass Effect 2, for example, its moral choice system boils down to being a space jerk or a space saint -- the difference between booting a dude through a window or getting chatty with him. There are other constructs that flesh out these decisions, but you don't change the way you fundamentally shoot stuff because of what you've done.

Sin or Win, on the other hand, incorporates two unique play styles and introduces basically two different kinds of puzzle games depending on your moral choice: sinning or winning. With a stroke of your finger, you can become the savior of its physics-enabled cavemen, or you can masterfully bring them to their individual fiery dooms. Each route has a unique kind of scoring and its own strategies. The choice, then, changes play.

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It's getting close to the holidays, and for us that means we're going to be posting a lot of deals in the near future. And we're not just talking about your everyday, "Hey, this game is now half off" kind of deals, but also the crazy "Hey, this game is free now for some reason" brand of price cutter-y. Case in point: Mobigame's Edge [Free] is now free on the App Store, for the first time ever, in celebration of the season. Whoa!

If you didn't get Edge the first time around, this is obviously a fantastic opportunity. Sadly, it's probably better known for the legal stir around it, but you should check it out because it's a sharp puzzle game with some really hip inventive mechanics.

In addition to this cut, Mobigames has reduced the price of all of its other App Store titles, including Edge Extended. Here's a list:

• Cross Fingers - $.99 → Free
• Edge Extended - $2.99 → $.99
• Perfect Cell - $2.99 → $.99
• Trucker's Delight: Episode 1 - $.99 → Free

Buckle up, guys, because there's going to be a lot more of these kinds of sales coming up.

Plants vs. Zombies for iPhone [$.99] got some new and exciting stuff this morning in a fresh and free update. At the top, the game finally now supports Game Center leaderboards. It can also now boast some parity with the series' PC, Macintosh, XBLA, and DS adaptations -- I, Zombie mode is now supported and can be purchased via IAP in Crazy Dave's shop.

I, Zombie, if you're not familiar, is a table-turning twist that lets you play as the undead horde . You'll get one free level in this update, and eight more, as well as an Endless take on it, if you do decide to pony up the dough. Holiday hats have also been introduced via this update because, hats.

English Country Tune [$4.99] is a game that's hard to describe. It's a puzzle game, one loosely based off the original block-pushing mechanics of the long-standing Sokoban. Its puzzles arrange themselves in complicated 3D designs, except that sometimes they're two-dimensional. The goal is to free certain blocks from a prison of others, or maybe it's to put all the balls in their holes, or perhaps it's to paint every free tile in a level. That changes. Sometimes it's hard, other times it's easy, and not necessarily in a linear order.

Here's what I can say with some certainty. Increpare's English Country Tune has made the transition from desktop to mobile boldly and without compromise. It's a game that will stump even the most experienced puzzle gamer at times, and it's absolutely inflexible about easing you past those difficult points. It's not a game for the easily stymied, but it will do an outstanding job of challenging puzzle experts.

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Bejeweled [$.99], the new stand-alone version of Bejeweled proper on the App Store, is as good as you'd expect. After all, it's Bejeweled -- the same insanely colorful, sometimes hypnotizing, and always creatively gifted match-three that has ignited the creation of a legion of pretender titles over the years. This Bejeweled in particular doesn't do anything that will blow your mind. For the most part, it's simply the core experience translated well to iPhone and iPod Touch. Not that I'm complaining about that aspect.

The thing that always gets me about Bejeweled is how mesmerizing the puzzle mechanic is, and the artful things the game's creators do to bolster this effect. This version's new Classic mode kinda encapsulates what I'm saying here: at the top, it's a gauntlet style mode that has you matching until no other moves remain, but the matching itself so darn hypnotic, you do everything in your power to ensure that you keep the game moving. But then the mode also zips you between new backgrounds and shows off some pyrotechnic match bonuses that radically change up the play.

For example, matching more than three of a gem can net you a sizzling gem that ignites gems in its area or an electrical gem that zaps entire columns of gems. You move with flow without really thinking about these, but they change the pace and the progression of an entire puzzle in satisfying ways. Getting these bonuses is almost a meta-game, as you subconsciously realize that they're so integral to keeping Classic moving.

Bejeweled also has a mode called Diamond Mine which pairs the core play with a funky digging mechanic. Underneath the board is dirt. Matching above the dirt clears some of it. Some spots have special bonuses, but a timer keeps you from scheming too heavily.

Again, this is one of those neat twists on the formula. You have to play fast and loose, but also with a specific goal outside of straight-up matching. The explosive bonuses are just as integral here, as they'll rid the board temporarily of massive chunks of dirt. I like this one in particular: the points you'll earn are ridiculously high, which gives a certain sense of momentum to Diamond Mine that Classic doesn't have, and the timer is a devilish addition that keeps the pressure satisfyingly amped up.

Zen Mode, on the hand ... it's the oddest of the trio of modes in this version. It takes the formula, spits it out into a regular match, and then tells you to play at your leisure. It also sports a variety of "zen" options, such as ambient effects like crickets and lets you even pick various mantras to display on the screen.

It comes off as silly, and, well, it is. I don't get it and probably never will. I just don't see how it could possibly achieve the goal of making you feel like you're sitting in a meditation room blazed out of your mind. This is Bejeweled, you know?

And while we're exploring negatives, it's notable that Bejeweled does not ship with Game Center support -- the game's leaderboards are filled with fake entries and you'll never see what your friends have scored. It's a weird, bad decision not to include this.

Zen and the lack of Game Center work against the game as a whole, but taking it all in, they're forgivable issues. Bejeweled is Bejeweled, and that means it's a great match-three puzzle game that goes above and beyond what other match-threes do. The play is as mesmerizing as ever and the game's two other modes really support it and add to it in meaningful ways. If you're into the franchise or not, give this a look.

Containment: The Zombie Puzzler [$4.99] from Bootsnake Games is definitely not your typical match-3 game. In fact, you don't even need to match three of anything. Instead, the goal is to surround zombies with cops, soldiers, scientists or punks. This is far more interesting than matching colorful gems, tiles or bubbles, and once you've contained some zombies they'll be eliminated in a blood-splattering burst of gun-fire.

Each type of human unit has a different advantage and a different weapon for taking out zombies. If you surround zombies with cops, you can earn a sniper-shot, whereas soldiers earn grenades. Containing some zombies using punks can earn a molotov to throw, while the female scientists can help you obtain a zombie resistant suit.  Three slots are available for storing these life-saving items.

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Bejeweled Blitz [Free], now a Universal app for iPhone and iPad, is a stellar game. It takes the glorious match-three mechanic of the classic puzzle franchise, pumps up the volume on the jewel and match bonuses, and then condenses it all down into frantic, one-minute bursts of eye-gasmic, point-laden play.

Do you know a dude who hasn't see Bejeweled yet? At this point, I'm pretty sure that the only people who aren't into Bejeweled don't have computers or phones, which pretty much eliminates them from reading this web site. So, I feel like there isn't much need to go on and on about how the match-three mechanic works or what makes Bejeweled feel good.

Let's talk about what's more relevent: what Blitz does differently.

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'Tis the season for holiday spins on our favorite apps, and one of the first overhauls we've heard about, Aiko Island: Holidays [Free / HD], is now out and available at zero dollars. It, as you assume, is a follow-up of sorts to IceFlame's original Aiko Island [$.99 / HD]. The key difference is in its art direction -- Holidays offers the same kind of puzzle play, but it's all wrapped up in fresh, Christmas-y art.

IceFlame is positioning this as a "gift" for its fans, and judging from what we've seen so far, it's probably a good one to boot. For those of you out there who haven't bought the original game, this is can also operate as a money-free starting point to see if its specific blend of puzzle action is up your alley. Our review wouldn't be too bad to take a look at, either.

Blueprint 3D [$.99 / HD], FDG Entertainment's extremely cool twist-to-solve 3D puzzle game, received a notable content update the other morning. At the top, FDG has added two all new, more challenging modes of play: advanced and pro. As the names imply, these modes give users a fresh way to play by introducing new layers.

FDG has also dropped in a few "minor fixes," including progress saves in each level, and a new trophy. Perhaps the most enticing of this Other Stuff is the new Christmas-themed set of levels. Unfortunately, you'll need 280 stars to even catch a glimpse of the santa stuff and reindeer it has added into the mix.

If you're not up-to-date on Blueprint 3D, stop on by our review. Spoiler: it's pretty good, occasionally challenging, and surprisingly elegant. Sure, it's ultimately a simple game, but we think it has enough for its asking price.

Stretched [99¢] is a new physics-based slingshot-platformer from Chillingo, which has been receiving praise in our discussion thread.  The objective is to fling a ball between various slingshots, collecting as many bubbles from each level as possible, before reaching the exit portal. There's no time limit or restriction on the number of turns, so there's no hurry, but each time you fling yourself you need to land safely, as there's no ground or safety net.

The best feature of Stretched is that new gameplay elements are constantly being introduced as you progress through the 80+ levels and 4 worlds (Sunrise, Monochrome, Misty and Desert). Each world has it's own features and music and it's often a pleasant surprise to discover what comes next.

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Fasten your time-travellings belts and turn off your electronic devices. Back in August, we checked out Toxic Blob's Sin Or Win for the first time. We came away impressed, and were stoked to see it that coming September. The game didn't make it out. In fact, it still isn't out and won't be until ... this week.

Toxic Blob's Jamie McCarter dropped us an e-mail saying that he's been using the delay time, which he's written about extensively on his studio's blog, to focus on tweaking and refining the entire experience. The final, retail build of Sin Or Win you'll play this coming December 15 has new fiends, better load times, a "solid" 60 FPS, and even an in-app hint system.

We've had a long, long time since initially seeing this game to figure out how the heck to categorize Sin Or Win. No luck -- we'll continue to let McCarter pitch it, and also use his words as a way to convienently remind you about what it is.

"In the game, the cavemen come from either side, and following the Grim Reapers' command, leap into the abyss," McCarter told us awhile back. From here, you'll get the choice to either save cavemen (winning) by flicking them into clouds or kill them by letting them dive into the pit and burn to death (sinning)."

December is going to be crazy busy with releases, but we're definitely going to give this the official look closer to release. Also, with the game finished, McCarter has moved on to a content update for the game: version 1.1 will "expand" the play, as well as add in Game Center. Neat!

Earlier this summer, we caught word that Frontier Developments's LostWinds was headed to iOS and Android. Now, we've got a great first-look at the iOS version title in action -- and, guys, it's silly gorgeous.

Once an acclaimed WiiWare title, Frontier has obviously pushed the visuals to the max for our phones and tablets. And if you look, you'll notice that it's a fairly HUD-free port with specific touch actions, which has us thinking that we're actually in for an all mobiled-out experience.

No solid date or price point have been announced, but we do know that LostWinds is coming to every iDevice this holiday as a Universal app. Also, it'll ship with a "new map feature" specific to touch devices. Our popcorn is ready, for sure.

UPDATE: Yay, technology! The trailer we originally posted was cut short for some... reason. This is the full thing.

Rovio Mobile is celebrating the second "birthday" of Angry Birds [$.99 / Lite / HD / HD Lite] in style. Of course, the app has been updated with new levels -- specifically, 15 birthday-themed levels, complete with cake and candles and hats. But Rovio is also taking the celebration to the streets. Starting at 11AM, Barnes & Noble stores around the country are holding exclusive events complete with prize raffles and Mighty Eagle scavenger hunts.

As we revealed on Twitter, Barnes & Nobles at The Grove in Los Angeles is probably going to be the best place to see this party in action. Rovio's North American GM will be there, and he'll apparently be carrying tons of swag with him. If you're going to go, send us some pictures. We'd love to see that "Birds & Noble" sign in particular.

Love it or hate it, Angry Birds is huge. And it's huge enough to score a re-branding partnership with a popular retailer for a good chunk of a Sunday afternoon. While it seems silly, this kind of thing does wonders for our favorite phone and tablet hobby, so here's to hoping the momentum continues.

[Via VentureBeat]

Today, 5th Cell and Warner Bros. unleashed an update to Scribblenauts Remix [$2.99], the iOS port of the popular franchise from the Nintendo DS. The big new feature in this update is something they're calling Scribblespeak. Scribblenauts is a game where you're able to type in just about anything you can think of, complete with descriptive adjectives, and it will be created for you within the game. This is intended to be the way you solve the many puzzles in the game, as you can create objects that you need to complete the tasks that allow you to pass a level.

However, while that's all well and good, the serious fun in Scribblenauts Remix is just thinking up the craziest objects or creatures that you possibly can, and then making them fight each other. At least, that's how I get my kicks, and that goes for just about everybody I know too. This sandbox-like aspect of Scribblenauts Remix is the thing that ensures this wonderful little app will never leave my device.

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