iOS Gaming Watch List: Lost Cities, Toybox, and Window Warrior

The most promising iPhone and iPad releases for August 23rd, 2012.

Each week the iOS Gaming Watch List will inform you of some noteworthy releases coming to the App Store.

Major releases tend to hit on Thursdays, so we'll be coming at you every Wednesday with the games to look out for, as well as some of the bigger content updates on the way. While this won't be a comprehensive list of games releasing for a given week, it does offer a quick selection of games and upates that show promise or look interesting for one reason or another. Worth noting that we have not played many of these games, so you shouldn't take these as short reviews. Think of this more like a helpful guide of games to investigate as they launch on Thursday.

The iOS dev that brought Carcassone to Apple devices has returned, this time with a recreation of a popular card-based strategy game, Lost Cities. Fans of the game know it gets really hairy as players weigh the cost of investing in multiple expeditions and using investment cards to increase their bounty at the potential risk of losing money. But, if that's total gibberish to you, watch the video below for a primer! The iOS version features online multiplayer with friends or randoms and achievements. (iPhone, $3.99)

There are plenty of scrolling shooters on the App Store. There are also plenty of match-three puzzle games. But how many games are there that blend the two into a chaotic hodgepodge of joy and wonder? Seems that's just Toybox. If you're a fan of multi-tasking or have split personalities, this iOS release should fit right in your craw. (iPhone, $0.99)

Call of Duty: Zombies is one of the biggest successes on the App Store, but it can be a little overwhelming for some people. After all, analog aiming on a touch screen is the stuff of nightmares. The devs behind Window Warrior have decided to make things much simpler. Your only job: fix windows to keep monsters from coming in. That's it! Think you can handle it? Not sure? Good news: The game's free so there's really no risk in finding out. (Universal, free)

The makers of Infinity Blade have just released a new game starring Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. True story. If you can wrap your head around that one, you might enjoy having these political adversaries duke it out with microphones and lightsabers, using the Infinity Blade combat engine. The game was commissioned as part of Rock the Vote, though I'm not sure it'll encourage people to head to the polls so much as give them something to do while they wait in line for Starbucks. But hey, free game! (Universal, free)