Five Stars - iBlast Moki 2, Scene It, Rally-X Rumble, and more

Welcome back to Five Stars, a weekly round-up of the most interesting new games to hit iPhone and iPad in the last seven days.

Pocket Gamer watches the New Zealand App Store like a hawk at noon on a Wednesday. You see, as New Zealand is first over the international date line*, the Kiwi country gracefully slides into a game-heavy Thursday morning as us Brits are munching on our Wednesday lunches.

Normally we're treated to a torrent of new games - which we pass on in news stories and our regular mid-week release run-down. Sometimes, pickings are a little slim. This week, the App Store gods have bestowed a meagre selection of gems to pick over.

But definitely do grab physics puzzler iBlast Moki 2, and make some time to check out freebies Pixel Flix and Emissary of War. Here's hoping that next week's offerings are a little more tasty.

*At the end of 2011, Samoa will leap to the other side of the international date line, making it the first past the post. Just so you know.

iBlast Moki 2
iPhone - 69p / iPad - £1.99 - Godzilab

At first glance, iBlast Moki 2 might tread familiar territory. Like its charming predecessor, Moki 2 asks you to guide a bunch of cute Mokis to the vortex-style exits using physics and explosions and momentum and gravity.

But as the game expands, opening up its four worlds and 90-odd levels, you'll soon realise that this sequel has a whole lot more in store.

For example, and perhaps taking inspiration from Portal 2, this new game introduces colour-based paints that turn surfaces into slick runways, bouncy platforms and sticky structures.

You also get a chance to build new contraptions and vehicles, like motorbikes, a train car to transport Mokis along a track, a hokey hot air balloon to transport them through the sky, or a sea-faring ship to traverse the game's mini oceans.

Even if you've beaten all of the levels that developer Godzilab has to offer, iBlast Moki 2 will still have more to offer.

The game comes packed with a deep and comprehensive DIY toolkit to make your own levels, which you can then share online. Just like LittleBigPlanet, each level gets rated by the community, so finding the best fan-made stages is easy.

Scene It? Pixel Flix Movies
iPhone - Free / iPad - Free - Screenlife

If you're anything like me - and I know I am - the thought of mixing movie trivia and pixel-art graphics will make you weak at the knees. Well brace everything from your thighs upwards, because Scene It?'s latest quiz app - Pixel Flix - does exactly that.

This freemium quiz tests your knowledge of ancient Hollywood classics, cult favourites, and utterly useless behind-the-scenes trivia. You'll work your way through four stages and a boss battle by picking movie categories (like comedy or award winners) and answering a handful of questions.

There are basic multiple-choice questions, hangman style events, quizzes where you have to choose which character or actor a series of statements relates to, and, a personal favourite, a game where you have to figure out which movie a pair of monotoned robots are quoting.

And it's all drawn in a totally retro style, turning the heroes of Pulp Fiction into Mega Man-looking characters and an iconic scene from Terminator 2 into an old skool side-scroller. If you really dig it, you can fork out for themed question packs, too.

Rally-X Rumble
Universal - 69p - Namco Bandai

For some creaky old classics, like arcade relic Rally-X, simply porting an old title to iOS and slapping it onto the App Store unchanged just isn't enough.

These games need to be revitalised for today's kids, turning Pac-Man into a glitzy five-minute score blast, morphing Space Invaders into a clever twist on evolution, and making Namco's ancient rally game a neon-splashed mulitiplayer tournament.

Rumble gives the old gal some psychedelic, Tron-style graphics and a whole host of clever new modes and interesting twists on the formula. Each mode, from a time-wasting two-minute score attack to a zany paint-based territory game, can be played against bots, against pals, or online.

Rally-X also offers up leaderboards and achievements through Game Center, a selection of different control methods to choose from, and promises of new level packs - both for free and paid.

Emissary of War
Universal - Free - Cedar Hill Games

What's going on with that guy's haircut? Seriously, he looks like a Jedward twin mixed with an iced gem. I'm surprised hero Ghent needs a sword, when he could just poke the game's rock scorpions to death with his 'do.

Anyway, this is Emissary of War, a new Diablo-esque rat-tapper from Cedar Hill games, and ex-BioWare developer Tobyn Manthorpe. You play as cone-headed jock Ghent and his meek potion-slinging pal Hassock.

You'll mainly control Ghent - tapping the screen to order him about and send him into battle - while Hassock will automatically throw bottles of special brew your way. You've got to juggle unleashing attacks with choosing which potions Hassock will throw to beat the game's tough enemies.

As you power through the game, finding coins and other special detritus, both heroes will unlock new gear and level-up their power. All the while, the duo is attempting to settle treaties between their home country, the Dominion, and its neighboring territories. They do this by killing a whole bunch of scorpions, apparently.

The first hour or so is free to download and play, and you can buy new chapters if you fancy them.

Rogue Sky
iPhone - 69p / iPad - £1.49 - Chillingo

A hot air balloon sim might sound like the lamest idea for a game since Grand Theft Street Sweeper, but evil enemy balloons, floating mines, and tricky mazes to navigate makes this app worth investigating.

You've got to guide a grinning blimp through the clouds, using pinpoint taps and tiny swipes for precision control. You'll also have to go toe-to-toe with rival balloons, firing out cannon balls to try and take them out of the sky.

Best of all, the game looks gorgeous. Developer Pebble Bug Studios has given the game a real storybook-style theme with cartoony clouds, atmospheric lighting, and a surprising amount of character for a buoyant envelope of heated gas.