Must-Play Games of the IPhone/IPod Touch

Having been an avid gamer on the IPod Touch, I've grown quite familiar with many of the genres, titles, and producers of even the most unsuccessful IPod and IPhone video games. But without talking about each and every one, I'm here to share with you the best part of my experience, the good stuff.

Here is the list of games I consider MUST-HAVE-PLAYED on the IPhone/Touch in the order I remember them:

Tap Tap Revenge 1,2,3 / Rock Band

I trust most of you out there know what Rock Band is and have at least given it a try at your local Best Buy store if you do not own the game yourself. The IPod version of Rock Band is exactly the same concept, except on the IPod. For obvious reasons, there is no drum-set or actual guitar on the IPod version. But your are still able to play to the four different instruments, including vocals, for a different experience every time even if you play the same song.

Tap Tap Revenge is a popular "mock" of the old online game Flash Flash Revolution and the classic Dance Dance revolution. Except instead of using arrows that are pointed in four different directions, you are now trying to hit 'dots' that come down in three columns, making the game-play slightly easier than that of Rock Band's on the toughest difficulty. If you have not played Tap Tap or Rock Band, it is strongly recommended that you do, because they are highly addicting when you first start.

Galcon / Galcon Labs

Galcon and Galcon Labs are two games in the same franchise that offer slightly different variations in game-play depending on which one you have. Generally, Galcon and Galcon labs are pretty much real time strategy games winded up a notch.  At the beginning of every game, the user starts with a set amount of forces or 'ships' and a home base. Your enemy, depending on the difficulty, also starts with a variable number of ships and a home base that is relatively far from yours. Every second, you will gain troops on each of the bases or 'planets' that you own on the map depending on the size of the planet, and likewise, so will your opponent.

The object of the game is to take over planets in the available map and essentially annihilate your enemy's forces completely. Despite how strategic it may seem, this game is rather quite simple to get the hang of and quite difficult to let go.

IShoot/Pocket Tanks

If you have ever played Gun Bound and liked it, this is the game for you. I Shoot and Pocket Tanks are the classical "tanks" games where players are situated in a 2 dimensional terrain with many hills and cliffs. You start off with a tank and attempt to destroy your enemy's tanks by utilizing a variety of weapons. The fun part about the games is that it requires quite a bit of thinking and plotting out the angle and power needed to hit your enemy on target. It may sound easy, but considering factors such as wind speed and weapon effects, it takes a surprising amount of skill to master.

There isn't too much of a difference between the two games. IShoot has a generally brighter setting and a more humorous game-play due to the cheesy dialogues between the CPU players. Despite IShoot's weapon creation function, Pocket Tanks has a MUCH greater variety of weapons to choose from and a much larger spectrum of attacks which really makes the game more dynamic.


Plants VS Zombies

This is the same as the computer version, except you use your fingers to touch to plant and execute commands. Plants VS Zombies is a real-time horizontal defense game with a very addictive and entertaining campaign. With a lot of secrets to discover and hidden weapons to buy, the game has a very high replay value and enjoyability. It is also highly addictive.

Cartoon Wars/ Xeno Wars

I grouped these two together because they are very similar in game-play and is awesome. I will not officially add "Defend You Castle" but I will mention that here as well because it kind of ties in with these two games here. Cartoon/Xeno Wars are kind of like Defend Your Castle, but you are also constantly producing units and trying to take down an opponent's castle before you fall to your doom. The addition of building units and warfare creates a completely different strategic environment and makes it much more difficult to handle than an ordinary Defend Your Castle game.

Xeno Wars, which I consider the more advanced of the two games, even incorporates a Bejewled aspect into the money-making aspect of the game which makes it a truly amazing fusion game experience.

N.O.V.A

This game is the revolution of FPS games on the IPod. Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance (N.O.V.A) offers the BEST first person shooter experience on the IPod, much better than competitors Brothers In Arms and Call of Duty. Inspired by the legendary franchise Halo, NOVA establishes its setting in a similar environment, with the main character being a very over-powered human trying to fight through armies of an advanced alien species. The weapons and the stages are also surprisingly similar to Halo's, giving the game a very nostalgic ambiance. This is definitely a must-play.

Assassin's Creed - Altair's Cronicles / Dungeon Hunter

 
I'm sure many of you have heard of Assasin's Creed, the IPod game does not disappoint. However, please note that there is no free-roaming and exploring allowed in the IPod version because of memory problems, but that doesn't take anything away from the great storyline and beautiful graphics. Dungeon Hunter is another very well made RPG with great graphics. Although slightly restricting in terms of character personalization, Dungeon Hunter compensates the conservatism with many maps and a very long story line.

Sword&Poker

This game came out of nowhere as a surprise when I was browsing aimlessly for apps. And I must say, this is one of the best games I've played on the IPod touch interface. With an ingenious combination of strategy and role-playing, Sword&Poker fuses the fantastic western Poker game with a very Anime-styled combat and fighting system.

Geo Defense / Geo Defense Swarm 

Your typical tower defense games. Geo Defense really stand out though, in the fact that they utilized and pre-thought out every possible aspect to make it a good game. The details are so astonishing that even the enemy explosion pixels may be absorbed by certain towers and used to attack. The graphics are also quite flashy and 'cool' to watch. ;)

Papi Jump / Doodle Jump

Full of awesomeness. Papi Jump, the grand daddy of em all, is probably the first game that utilized the accelerometer to its fullest. Doodle Jump seems like an upgraded and more challenging version with many more pick-ups and random occurences that really give the game a twist.


Tilt to Live




Probably one of the most innovative and addictive games on the hand-held market. Graphically, there is nothing to be proud of in this game. Neither are there anything special in the music nor plot. This game is just a game of pure awesomeness. By utilizing the accelerometer like a sensor, the player controls an arrow that moves as you tilt your device. As time passes by, 'dots' will appear and start chasing after your arrow. If any of the dots touch your arrow, you lose. There are weapons that float around on the game boards that you may use to destroy dots with, and as you progress, you will unlock new and more powerful weapons.

Asphalt 5 / Real Racing

That's right, its racing time! These two are the best racing game out there on the IPod. No contest. Both of which have stunning graphics, amazing soundtracks, and jaw-dropping game-play and visualizations. Asphalt 5 is slightly less realistic but much more exhilarating to play in my opinion. While Real Racing is very... Real. And I mean... VERY. The feeling of using the accelerometer with Real Racing feels almost as realistic as being in the driver seat of an actual car.

Hotel Tycoon / Air Tycoon

The classic tycoon games, rendered to perfection on the IPOD. Start a business, get rich, and annihilate your competition.

Lux Touch

 

It's an amazing game of Risk. Difficult, satisfying, and awesome.

Red Alert 2 / Lost Empires

These two here are your favorite real-time-strategy games on the IPod. Red Alert 2 is actually quite popular on the computer as a world-wide RTS and the hand-held version is an excellent adaptation. Lost Empires is also very well made. The latter takes place in medival times, much like a good ol' game of Ages of Empires.






Chaos Rings




Before we begin talking about this game, I would like to give Square Enix my utmost praise. As many of you out there who played the final fantasy out there, you'd know I'm not lying when I say they were CRAP. Square Enix went beyond the normal comprehension of IPod capabilities and created a game comparable with that of an early PS2 game. Chaos Rings, inspired by video game legacy Final Fantasy, offers the same--if not even deeper-- complexion in its game-play and story progression.The amount of satisfaction and nostalgic feeling this game offers is beyond a simple description here.

Pocket Gamer Review Quotes:

"Graphically Chaos Rings really impresses. Beautifully illustrated 2D backgrounds make up the environments, while characters and monsters consist of detailed 3D models. It has a look that's evocative of classic Playstation-era RPGs. The battle sequences are fully rendered in 3D and really showcase the gorgeous enemy designs and fluid animations. The huge bosses in particular are downright intimidating as they fill your touch screen with their presence. A dramatic soundtrack accompanies the action and provides a unique sound for each of the locations in the game."

See for yourself: