Great iPhone games!

[DonGrif]

I thought we could have a topic to share all the fun iPhone games we play.

I'd like to start with "The Amazing Mr. Loco". Very fun and addictive. ANd you can build your own levels and send to your friends. Highly recommended!

[MrAlbum]

Huh. Great iPhone games... lemme see....

Chaos Rings: Square Enix managed to take the format of a classic PSOne RPG and make it work on the iDevices. It isn't the most perfect of gaming experiences, but if JRPG's are your thing, then get this game. Very pricey, but there is a lot of gameplay, with multiple storylines and more which all converge to an epic ending that I have not yet unlocked. It takes a long time to get there, but it is worth it in the end. (Or, at least it better be :P) At least the journey there is good ^_^

Imaginary Range: Square Enix threw out this tiny little gem a while back and made it free. While that may raise red flags, it is actually an interesting combination of a comic book style of storytelling and several contextual mini-games that reinforce the story. It also implies a pseudo-back story to how Cid is somehow involved in ALMOST EVERYTHING SQUARE ENIX MAKES. Factor in unlockables that further flesh out how the game's concept came about, and it becomes something that I highly recommend. You can also use it to show others that Square isn't quite dead yet in terms of making interesting stuff (either that, or point them towards "The World Ends With You").

Tiny Tower: Yes, this game is "freemium". Yet it is the best kind of freemium that you can get. Not only is it fun to play, but it is entirely possible to play the entire game without once using the wallet. Factor in lots of unique achievements (trust me, it will take MONTHS to get some of these achievements), and the fact that the game truly is free to play from start to finish, it ranks as the best freemium game I will ever own.

GemCraft: If you haven't heard of GemCraft before, then look it up on Armor Games. Not only did the developer make the game work as an iPhone game, but it balanced the game play, making for a game that was already a time-waster into a well-balanced, fair, yet challenging time-waster. Trust me, it's good, and a classic of the Tower Defense genre.

Solomon's Boneyard: Dual-stick shooter meets a much simpler version of Diablo in this unique take on the "survive endless waves until you die" genre. With this game, it is more the style than anything else that draws me to it. It is very challenging, but fair at the same time. It is worth the $0.99.

FASTAR! Fight Angry Squares RPG: Now we're entering parody territory ^_^. It makes fun of many tropes of RPG's (silent hero with almost no personality with spiky hair and big giant sword) and not only makes fun of it, but makes the process of making fun of it, well, fun to play. Each of the squares are unique, with unique sets of stats/colors/sizes/attack patterns that make for a challenging game play experience. Plus, it is the only RPG in my mind that places an emphasis on speed runs. If you want something quirky and truly different that isn't totally tongue-in-cheek, then this is your game.

Pix'n Rush: This game is a love letter to all those old, pixelated, colorful arcade platformers of yore. Not only is it one of the simplest platformers on the iPhone, it is also one of the best-controlling platformers, as well as one of the most beautiful games on the iDevices. Seriously, if you're a retro fan, then get this game.

Overkill: I honestly don't own many gallery-shooting games on the iPhone, because there are just not that many. Enter Overkill, which is a freemium gallery shooter with unlockable weapons, leveling up, and a crap-load of content that takes a lot of skill to go through. Considering the fact that the game is freemium, I'm surprised that there is such an emphasis on the skill of the player. If you can avoid the freemium aspects, then you can in fact enjoy this one-of-a-kind gallery shooter.

Paladog!: You know those sidescrolling games where you are a faceless entity that spawns minions to go destroy an enemy base? Well, in this game, you aren't a faceless enemy: You are the mighty, the holy, the One and ONLY PALADOG! The one true hope for the animal civilization against the zombie horde of the previous human civilization! Yes, it is as wacky as it sounds. Engrish abounds, there is grinding involved, but the fact that you actually take control of the battlefield makes a massive difference when it comes to this sidescrolling take on the "spawn minions to swarm enemy base" genre. Worth at least a look-see.

GROOVECOASTER: Taito, the guys who made Space Invaders, completely and utterly outdid themselves on their take of the "tap in beat to the music" genre, ala Tap Tap Revenge. I will not spoil any more. I will simply say this: If you like the concept of Rock Band, but didn't like how that played, then get this game. An utter delight, and the best recent addition to my iPhone.

Zenonia: Ugh. I'm sorry, but... well... considering that this spawned a whole host of imitators that still clog up the app store RPG section, I just simply have to point you at this game and say "Get this, and ONLY this", at least for the type of action RPG that the game does its best to emulate. And, for what it is, it is actually a good game. "Engrish" is kept at a minimum, the game play is at least flashy and colorful, and it runs smoothly on all the iDevices. And the original, as far as I can tell, has the best story, although if you beat this game and are craving more action the two sequels should keep you satiated for months.

Fruit Ninja: Get. this. game. now. Ninjas. hate. fruit. So. destroy. the. evil. fruit.

Dungeon Raid: Puzzle Quest mechanics meet a NetHack style of storytelling. Need I say more?

Space Invaders: Infinity Gene: Think the original Space Invaders game hyped up on so many steroids, it mutates and spawns a crazy-arse list of baddies that come at you with bullet-hell shooter intensities. But your main ship mutates as well, which is essential to decimating the enemy waves *cough* *cough* Lock on *cough* *cough*. If you are a fan of Space Invaders, then get this game so you can see just how they moved the game flawlessly into the 21st century. Oh, and it takes the songs from your music library, and generates unique levels based on those songs. Trust me, decimating a horde of enemies to the tune of "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd is friggin' EPIC.

DoDonPachi Resurrection: A classic arcade bullet-hell shoot-em-up flawlessly ported to the iPhone (only 3GS and up, unfortunately), which has all sorts of goodies unique to the iPhone version. Trust me, as far as I'm concerned, this game is the definitive version of the game. It is pricey, but if you're willing to spring for it, go for it.

Mushihimesama Bug Panic: Made by the same studio that made DoDonPachi, this game is a dual-stick shooter with unique gameplay mechanics and an interesting, if thread-bare, story behind it. If you want a unique dual-stick shooter that also incorporates bullet hell elements, then snap this game up.

And those are only a FEW of the great games on here. I didn't mention Shadow Era (a great "Magic The Gathering"-ish card game), Helsing's Fire (best use of light as a gameplay mechanic), Battleheart (seriously, great game), the Secret of Mana port (solid mechanics, although it runs faster than the original SNES game), Wispin (awesome use of color as a combat mechanic), Monster Dash (great Canabalt-styled game that incorporates badass weaponry), Infinity Blade (UNREAL ENGINE 3 ON THE FRIGGIN' iDEVICES) and soooooooooooooo many more. It is games like these that are the reason why the iPhone and other smartphones are totally owning the handheld market in recent years. While I don't think it will completely kill off handhelds, it has vaulted the smartphone into the realm of being a serious contender, and these above games prove it.

Sincerely,

Mr. Album

[Painkiller]

I'm a Android user.. so I cant comment on this... though I am :)

Do you know if Iphone games and android games have the same ones or do they both have different ones?

AND I already know that Angry Birds are on both so that one is a given :)

[MrAlbum]

Some games have Android versions, others are exclusive to either one platform or the other.

Android has some issues when it comes to its apps, because so many different manufacturers make phones for the OS. This makes for a wide variety of screen sizes and resolutions. This often results in apps that may work best on one device and not another, and no clear way to tell which device is best for which app, unless the developer has tested on several different phones and outright says "Is compatible with X and Y phones". This issue is especially prevalent on the Android tablets and the Android Honeycomb OS, although more apps are being developed exclusively for that OS.

That's all I know about it, however. I'm not an Android user, so I can't give my personal opinion. All I can do is parrot back what I have picked up from my trolling through the Internet ^_^

Mr. Album