EA Games has given us a great gift in preparation for the weekend: we have not one, but two great franchises on sale for $0.99. Both Boggle and Life have had their prices slashed to just under a dollar, while the Appvent Calender is featuring Crazy Snowboard, a 3D snowboarding game from eZone.

I looked at Life myself a few months ago, and it’s a great port of the classic board game. Almost every element makes the transition well, from the spinner to the colorful graphics to the fortunate and unfortunate events that happen to your poor character. Playing board games solo can be a lonely experience, but Life’s AI’s are competent and you can fast-forward through their turns; on the other hand, if you actually have a group of friends who want to play Life, EA’s Pass ‘n’ Play is here too. There are no corners cut when it comes to production values, and this is just one more great board game port in EA’s giant stable. Sure, it relies heavily on “traditional” family ideals (everyone gets married, everyone gets a house, unemployment blissfully lasts for a few seconds at most), but if you’re nostalgic for the old game, go for it while it’s cheap.

$0.99

THE GAME OF LIFE Classic Edition

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-08-13 :: Category: Games

Boggle is another great game, and one that word fans should love. When we looked at this September, it had all the bones of the great game but sadly it was missing some things:

I was interested to finally see Boggle launch on the App Store and more than ready to try it out. What I found was a good 1.0 game with an interesting approach but lacking a lot of the polish that the veteran apps have added along the way…There are some great features in the Advanced mode of this app, but the rest seems like it needs time and polish.

Take that recommendation with a grain of salt, however. Since we reviewed it, much-wanted updates have brought new features like Pass ‘n’ Play, and some bugs have been ironed out. Plus, hey, it’s Boggle. Any word fan can tell you that along with Scrabble, crosswords, and word finds, Boggle-style games are a nearly-ancient standby. You won’t find this game for cheaper—at least not an official version—so if you’ve been on the fence, this is the time to buy.

$0.99

BOGGLE

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-08-31 :: Category: Games

And, finally, the Appvent Calender brings us Crazy Snowboard. Not Crazy Snowboarding, mind you, but Crazy Snowboard. What can be crazy about a simple board, I wonder?

Anyway, this looks like it follows the familiar track of snowboarding games. The graphics are great, and there’s a lot of content, too; thirty missions are included and you can unlock a number of boards and riders. You can grind on rails, boxes, logs, and candycanes, and it just looks like an awesome freebie for fans of such games. Future updates promise to add Plus+ support and leaderboards. For a sports game, this seems to have quite a bit of depth, and you can’t beat the price.

$0.99

Crazy Snowboard

+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2008-10-30 :: Category: Games

Daily deals are apparently popular this Christmas season. Between Blacksmith Games’ daily free app from the Appvent Calender and EA Games’ 25 Days Til Xmas Sale, there are a lot of one-day-only specials to keep track of. While EA Games isn’t offering any free games, they’ll be offering up to 80% off on one game per day ’til Christmas, with some games as low as 99 cents. As for the Appvent Calender…well, you’d be crazy to pass up on free games. So, from now on, we’re going to try and update you daily on these awesome deals.

Today’s freebie is Snorkeling, a game from Alfonso Bonzzelli. I’m still trying to figure out why there’s a fishing bear, but it certainly looks worth a download. Here’s what the developer has to say:

“Snorkeling is a funny, simple and intuitive game. You have to swipe your finger on the screen to move the bear cub and catch as many fish as possible (the good ones!). There are different types of fish, each one worth a certain number of points. Be careful to stay away from the bad fish or you will die and remember that you can’t stay underwater for long without recharging your oxygen.”

$0.99

Snorkeling - The Game

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-11-04 :: Category: Games

Meanwhile, EA Games has Boggle on sale for $0.99 today. While Billy suggested that fans of the game wait, it’s not going to get any cheaper than this, and Boggle is one of the classic games that all word fans need. The latest update added Pass ‘n’ Play multiplayer, and the game’s wrapped with all the graphical polish you’d expect from EA. An Advanced mode adds some extra strategy to the mix. Make sure to read our detailed review!

$0.99

BOGGLE

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-08-31 :: Category: Games

And for today, one bonus deal: Ramp Champ is also free. It’s a playful take on skee ball from Iconfactory that should provide some simple fun. It includes four different games, each with points and goals; trophies and prizes can be collected as well.

FREE!

Ramp Champ

iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-08-25 :: Category: Games

We’ll be posting our “Daily Double” feature tomorrow, too. Be sure to check back!