Many iOS games try to be funny.  Quest Runner, though, is genuinely funny and is possibly one of the wittiest games ever to set foot on an iPhone.

If entertainment is what you're looking for, this won't disappoint, starting from the well-designed cartoon-style 2D graphics to the hilarious dialogue to the casual but enjoyable gameplay.  While the premise is formulaic (it's a traditional RPG where you walk around town and stuff), the delivery is really a bundle of fun.

In Quest Runner, you start off picking a character, as well as throwing in a few limited customizations.  The tongue-in-cheek references to older games is strong with this one, so don't be surprised if you see familiar costumes from a game you used to play years ago.  If you're a longtime gamer, you'll love those little bits, which are peppered throughout the game (not just in the outfits).

Action is side-scrolling, so there's no need for a d-pad, which, admittedly, felt odd for the first few minutes.   To move, just tap the spot you want and your hero walks there.  Littering the bottom of the screen are easy access buttons for potions and attacks, with small icons on the top right side indicating your quests and status.  It's a neat, orderly design that maximizes the iPhone's limited screen space.

In town, you can chat up people to help pick up clues for your mission and get basic quests from NPCs, as with the classic RPG formula.  Veering slightly away from that, the game allows you to hire mercenaries and adopt pets, both of which can really help you down the line as the difficulty ramps up.  The witty dialogue and comedic situations will be in full force throughout the adventure, making the game all the more engaging.

Like all RPGs, there's a bit of grinding involved to gain necessary levels, but Quest Runner exactly the type of game you can put down and return to later without feeling like you've forgotten what's been going on.  I blame the clever humor for that.  It's a no-brainer download for the $1.99 App Store price.

[Trident3D]

Neither simple to-do lists nor fancy GTD systems can help you sort out your productivity problems?  Try EpicWin, a new iPhone app that turns personal task management into a role-playing game.  Really.

You use the app much like a real RPG.  First, you select a wacky-looking character (the graphics are awesome, so it feels like a real game), you enter tasks (called "quests"), give each a level of Epicness and tick them off once completed.  For every quest you complete, you earn Epicness points (based on the level you set), earning valuable skills and moving forward in your EpicWin journey.

Basically, it's like using a regular task management system.  Except this time, you mix it in with an entirely imagined mythology with a personal avatar earning skills and items. It's silly, but with the right kind of people (e.g. the millions who actually waste time planting crops on Farmville), it could be entertaining.

On the downside, it's really short on the non-entertainment features.  For instance, there aren't any view options, you can’t sync with popular calendars and you can't create customized time tables.  If you're a serious user of heavily-featured task managers or similar productivity tools, you'll likely find this very lacking.  They do promise to roll out features incrementally, so we're guessing these are among those areas that will be addressed going forward.

If your task management needs are modest and you want to be entertained while doing it, we doubt there's anything that even comes close to EpicWin.  It's filled with potential and can only get better.  You can get it from the App Store for $2.99.

[EpicWin]

The number of impressive games coming out on the iPhone never ceases to amaze me.  Here's another one to put right up there with your collection of absolutely brilliant titles - Space Miner: Space Ore Bust.

In the game, you play the nephew of a galactic mining station owner.  He asks you to help him with his ore mining operations and you comply.  On your way to the mines inside your raggedy space vessel, however, things get awry.  Instead of spending your time in peaceful labor at Uncle Jeb's, you end up getting sent to a series of places to retrieve ores contained inside asteroids.  So you blast those heaps of rock in space, collecting as much ore as you can for a greater cut of the profit.

Ore is your way to make money in the game, which you can then use to stock your ship with a bevy of powerful enhancements.  The asteroid combat is way, way fun, especially when paired up with the entertaining banjo soundtrack.  What makes it really take off, however, is the fact that it's not just all about asteroids.

The game brings a total of 24 well-done missions, with a fun story to tie everything together and lots of perfectly-timed comedic moments.  There's good variety, too, with tasks such as destroying a giant robot and rescuing tourists floating aimlessly in space.  Suffice to say, it's tough to get bored with such a diverse mix of items integrated into the gameplay.

Even though it looks like an Asteroids clone at first glance, Space Miner: Space Ore Bust is just way, way more than that.  It's easily one of the most entertaining, most diverse games in the App Store - a definite "must-have" if a game ever deserved such a label.  Reasonably priced too at only $4.99.

While Alive 4 Ever remains as my hands-down favorite zombie game on the iPhone, Resident Evil: Degeneration offers a formidable challenge.  With graphics that rival those from last-gen consoles and very engaging gameplay, it's a well-done title that's guaranteed to offer a couple of hours of fun.

In the game, you play Leon Kennedy, who finds himself in the middle of an airport full of deranged zombies as a result of an unexpected outbreak.  Your main goal is to locate survivors and get them to safety, while working to keep the restless zombies from leaving the area.  Missions involve rescuing healthy civilians, finding medical supplies, locating key cards and other clues, all while slaughtering hordes of zombies coming after you.

There are twelve chapters to complete, which isn't plenty.  In fact, experienced gamers will probably blow through this in under two hours.    It does come with an unlockable mercenary mode, however, which is all about just killing the undead by the numbers, for extra replay value.

Controls are good, although moving while firing occasionally throws the camera off.  It also tends to slow down a bit when you're aiming your gun.  Nothing too bad to dampen the fun, though.  Additional accelerometer controls are available as well, such as shaking the phone to fend off some attackers.

Overall, it's a terrific game, with excellent controls, immersive graphics and fun audio.  It's a bit stingy on content and hardly warrants any replay after you finish it once, so the $6.99 download price is still something to consider.  Personally, I think it's worth the two hours of fun, but your experience may vary.

Via Touch Arcade