Top 10 iPhone mash-ups we’d love to see

The latest trend to emerge from the App Store is that of the ‘mash-up’ - various publishers allowing their precious IP to make cameo appearances in each other’s games. It’s a heart-warming case of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine,” the ultimate goal being to help each other sell loads of games.

We’ve already seen the likes of Harbour Master, Pocket God and Doodle Jump cross-pollinate, and current app store darling Minigore is in the middle of a fruitful dalliance with Illusion Labs’s Sway.

Which leaves the question - what would be your dream iPhone mash-up? Which unlikely pairing would you most like to see, and what could such unlikely alliances provide in terms of gameplay?

Take a look at our ten picks, then add your own ideas in the comments section.

Top 10 iPhone mash-ups we'd love to see

If there are two games on iPhone that would make a die-hard PSP fan stop and pay attention, it would be Rolando (1 or 2) and Real Racing. So why not bring these two technical marvels together in a fit of mutal-congratulatory back-slapping?

We can just imagine rolling up to the start line of one of Real Racing’s beautifully rendered tracks with a giant googly-eyed ball.

Control could be a Monkey Ball-like affair (now there’s another mash-up idea) of tilting the handset, while opposing cars could be sent spinning with a flick of your finger.

These are two of the most popular flight-related games on the App Store, but the similarities end there. Why not bring them a little closer together?

We could picture a regular game of Flight Control taking place when suddenly a Glyder floats into view. A little number alongside it could represent its altitude, giving you a limited amount of time to bring it home.

If Firemint really wanted to go to town, it could even add in a couple of air jets that could be used to keep the Glyder airborne a little longer.

Having scrapped for the hearts and wallets of iPhone strategists thanks to a similar release date, it’s time to answer the ultimate question: which is stronger - armoured spaceships or homicidal invertebrates? Only one way to find out: Fiiiiight!

You could incorporate either side in the other’s game, as the premise is identical - take it in turns to blast your opponent with a huge arsenal of destructive toys. It might also sate our impatience for some online Worms.

Another mention for Rolando here, but what did you expect? The critters are the closest thing to platform mascots the iPhone has. Anyway, we could just imagine a bonus level of Peggle where the ball is replaced by a Rolando, and you must tilt your iPhone to guide the grinning blob through a field of pins.

It’d play a bit like one of those cheap plastic marble-maze games you had as a kid. The novelty would probably wear out just as fast, but hey - this whole concept is based on novelty value.

Two of the finest blasters on iPhone should really get acquainted. How about getting to fly one of Siberian Strike’s bright, retro-styled planes into battle in the 3D splendour and ultra-modern setting of F.A.S.T? If the bullets came out as giant balls of plasma, even better.

While we’re at it, if SGN could squeeze one or two of Siberian Strike’s screen-filling bosses into the equation, we’d fly wing man for them any time.

How about a bonus level in Taito’s awesome re-imagining of Space Invaders where your enemy is a small ball, bouncing about in a field of pins? The skill would be in shooting it before it reaches the bottom of the screen, where it would explode in a shower of unavoidable 8-bit sparks (accompanied by a heavily digitised version of 'Ode to Joy').

Later levels could involve the dreaded ‘multi-ball,’ with players having to keep their eye on - you guessed it - multiple bouncing balls. I don’t know about you, but such a thing would be enough to bump the game up to a 10 out of 10 in my book.

How about a bonus mode for Real Racing where, before a race, you have to sketch out your route in a top-down DrawRace-view. The race itself would then play out in full Firemint-powered 3D glory.

You could even spice it up by including rival racers, so taking a slightly less orthodox route may well keep you out of trouble through the trickier corners. Chaotic? Probably. Fun? Most definitely.

In Go! Go! Rescue Squad and Tiki Towers we have two of the finest, head-scratchingest (yes, I just made that up) puzzlers on iPhone. It’d be a match made in heaven - fire fighters are renowned for rescuing cats from trees, so why not monkeys from abstract video game levels?

Picture the scene: a bonus level of Tiki Towers sees you building structures to help the Rescue Squad reach a gaggle of stranded monkeys - taking into account the usual physics conundrums, as well as the effect that fire might have on bamboo.

We’ve seen a hint of mash-uppery in Zen Bound already with the likes of the Space Invaders sprite object, but it would be an easy (and fun) thing to do to drop in a few other game-inspired objects. How about wrapping up a series of gurning Topple blocks, or the cute chick (no, not that sort) from Toki Tori?

Anything, basically, that makes you chuckle politely while quietly wishing for more of the superior custom-made objects.

Many iPhone users would like to take Apple to task over its, how can we say this, 'strange' approach to censorship. While a simple dictionary app like Ninjawords can be held back for containing rude words, an app entitled Sex Offender that pinpoints convicted criminals in your locality was allowed to sit on the App Store for weeks.

Chillingo’s brilliant first-person brawler would be the perfect basis for the mother of all mash-ups. Just add fastidious Apple employees as your opponents and vent, vent, vent your way to a calmer heart.