New iPhone, iPod touch or iPad for Christmas? 50 essential games to get you started
A present to yourself
Got a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad under your Christmas tree? Well, you're in luck, and not just because you've stumbled upon one of the coolest gadgets around.
You've also come across a monstrous App Store, one bursting at the seams with quality games, must-play adventures, addictive time sinks, and essential apps.
But, with about half a million of the blighters out there for you to buy and download, picking some games to get started with is a daunting task. Luckily, the experts at Pocket Gamer have some ideas for you.
Here are 50 games for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad that we heartily recommend. They've all scored highly in reviews and stuck around on our Home screens for months. We're pretty confident that you'll love them, too.
Real Racing 2Buy on iPhone or buy on iPad
What does the 'Real' in Real Racing stand for? Is it the realistic physics that dominate the feisty tarmac skirmishes, or the monster garage of officially licensed motors you can drive. Perhaps, it's the career mode you have to carefully work your way through, or the delicately constructed cockpits of every car. Maybe, just maybe, it stands for all of them.
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's RevengeBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Comedy adventure from the king of point-and-click games: LucasArts. You play as hapless wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood on his swashbuckling adventure to dig up the treasure of Big Whoop and beat down the ghost of archnemesis LeChuck. It's genuinely funny stuff, and the puzzles are rock hard. Best yet, you can play the game with spiffy new visuals or switch back to crisp pixel art and iMUSE-style audio.
Anomaly Warzone EarthBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
A reverse tower defence game where YOU play as the swarms of encroaching nasties and the ENEMY takes up defensive positions with turrets and towers. You've got to decide the best route to take when trying to overthrow these near-future Baghdad districts, and choose when best to use your special weapons - like air strikes and missile drops.
Zen Bound 2Buy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Arty nonsense from Secret Exit, as you twist and turn a wooden curio to try and tangle it in a web of string. It's a calming sort of fun, though, with a relaxed pace and a zen-like atmosphere. It's a wonderful showcase for the motion-sensing gizmos in these new-dangled smartphones, too.
Sonic & Sega All-Stars RacingBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Sonic is one character that actually moves slower in a car than on foot. That's life for a supersonic hedgehog. But, by applying the brakes to his innate pace, he can race his fuzzy friends in this cutesy kart racer. It controls well, is packed with content, and is perfect for bite-sized play.
iBlast Moki 2 HDBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Devilishly clever puzzle-solving physics, with blobs of googly-eyed goo. You've got to drop bombs to get the Mokis into the portals. Sounds easy enough, but throw in paint splats, massive mechanical contraptions, and all sorts of vehicles, and things suddenly get a little more tricky. It's easy as pie to forge your own levels and share them online.
DrawRace 2Buy on iPhone or buy on iPad
DrawRace 2 offers an intriguing way to play a racing game on a touchscreen. Forget buttons and virtual joysticks: this is all about penning a racing line for your car to follow with your finger, and judiciously applying a quick boost of nitro on the straight. Loads of content and excellent visuals.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown WarsBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Rockstar returns to top-down crime for this retro-style GTA. It's set in the Liberty City made famous by Grand Theft Auto IV, but stars a new cast of characters (a Chinese mob family, to be precise) and features a twist in favour of humour and mayhem. A huge drug-dealing meta-game underpins the experience, as you buy and sell illegal junk while the market fluctuates.
MachinariumBuy on iPad
The humble point-and-click adventure is one genre where the written word is welcome most. So, how did this Czech-made treat get away with ignoring dialogue, instructions, and speech altogether? The answer's in the art, as robo-hero Josef and the cast of automatons explain all through expressions, body language, and slapstick acting.
PeggleBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
PopCap borrows from the money-sucking pachinko machines of Japanese arcades to bring you this compulsive physics-based time sink. It's all about dropping a dinky metallic ball into an ocean of pegs and hoping you hit a bunch on the way down. A little skill, lots of luck, and gravity are all you need to win. Oh, and special moves from animal Peggle Masters.
N.O.V.A. 2: Near Orbit Vanguard AllianceBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Sci-fi shooting from the king of clones: Gameloft. This one is heavily styled after Halo, with grunty ape-like aliens, blue AI chicks, and jeeps with humongous turrets in the boot. It might not contain an ounce of originality, but it excels where it matters - in the punchy firefights with explosive weaponry.
Grand Theft Auto 3Buy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
To celebrate the tenth birthday of this iconic tabloid-baiting digital crime spree, Rockstar has spruced up the graphics, thrown in some (largely) successful touch controls, and squeezed it down onto iOS. You get a full PS2 adventure, full of missions and mischiefs, for less than the price of a Big Mac. Impossible to refuse this offer.
Edge ExtendedBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
It might be the game that inspired one of the industry's most exciting legal sagas, but boxy puzzler Edge is worth buying in its own right. Not only is it a sharp-looking game with some wicked smart ideas up its sleeve, but it also controls wonderfully with touch and is packed with levels to play.
Quarrel DeluxeBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Calling Quarrel Deluxe "Scrabble-meets-Risk" might sound reductive or clichéd, but there's no better way to sum up this Scottish word-battler in so few letters. You attempt to dominate a battlefield by taking over your opponent's tiles, but you'll need to best them in a war of words to secure your place on their ground.
AquariaBuy on iPad
An underwater adventure with hints of Metroid and Castlevania from a tiny indie studio. Mermaid chick Naija goes for a dive through calming seas and mysterious caves, as she tracks down her forgotten past. Her trusty vocal chords give you access to new powers and modes, as belting out an operatic tune lets her pop up a shield or turn into an amphibious beast. It's utterly gorgeous, and huge, too.
World of GooBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
A blobby physics-puzzler with some of the most charming visuals and memorable music around. You've got to use these googly-eyed wads of muck to construct springy structures like towers, bridges, and mechanisms. Every goo ball saved heads to a master tower-building mini-game where you try to build a bigger skyscraping goo spire than your friends.
Where's My Water?Buy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Disney does pocket-money puzzling, starring a toothy crocodile and following his endless hunt for a warm shower. You've got to pilot water - from puddles and pipes and steam and balloons - to Swampy's shower nozzle by solving puzzles and digging through dirt. It's endlessly inventive, and the game's had humongous amounts of extra levels added for free.
SpaceChem MobileBuy on iPad
You'd be forgiven for thinking that a game about chemistry and computer programming sounds like the most boring thing in the observable universe. But, carefully crafting, debugging, and tweaking chemical factories to pump out molecules is surprisingly sweet. There's something about problem solving and expressing your own creativity in the solutions that makes this game so memorable.
Sid Meier's Pirates!Buy on iPad
A pirate epic that simulates everything there is to know about sailing the 17th-century seas. Which includes feisty swordfights on deck, violent ship-on-ship cannon fights, collecting bits for the perfect sea-faring galleon, and, erm, dancing with the governor's daughter. Well, it can't all be blood, guts, and grog now, can it?
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EPBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Let a trio of Canadian craftsmen take you on an odyssey of imagination through pixel-art woods and chiptune caves. It's a self-aware adventure and a fourth-wall-breaking RPG: the sort of kooky concoction that asks you to tweet dialogue from the game, and wait a real-world lunar month to complete a chapter. It's utterly mad, but endlessly memorable. This is one mobile experiment you won't want to miss.
Jetpack JoyrideBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
One-button fun from the master of addiction: Halfbrick. Barry Steakfries nicks a super-secret jetpack from a research lab, and you've got to get it as far through the tunnels of scientists and deadly lasers as you can. Just beating your own score is fun, but nailing the endless procession of mini-missions (like high five 20 researchers or scrape your head on the ceiling for 500 metres) makes it compulsive.
DoDonPachi ResurrectionBuy on iPhone
Frantically fast, impenetrably hard, and oh-so Japanese, but beneath that ocean of neon bullets hides a space shooter and its devious twist. Maxing out your score is about toying with death, as grazing past bullets skyrockets your multiplier. When it hits 1000x, it's time to stop dodging and start blasting. Painfully fun.
Angry BirdsBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Half a billion utterly obsessed birdbrains can't be wrong, right? Not only has it inspired a multimedia empire with a net worth higher than Britain's GDP, but it's also stood the test of time as one helluva addictive physics-puzzler. You get a seriously huge number of stages for your money, too.
Civilization RevolutionBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
World-domination fun from the king of sim: Sid Meier. You take control of a civilisation and guide them through the ages, while trading blows and sugar with rival sovereigns. By the time the clock ticks to the year 2020, your in-game empire will be a sight to behold.
Game Dev StoryBuy on iPhone
A cutesy satire of the games industry, wrapped in a dangerously addictive micro-management sim. As head honcho at a games firm, you have to churn out new releases and watch how they fare in front of expos, award ceremonies, and the world's most detested bastards. Yes: games reviewers.
Broken Sword: Director's CutBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Point-and-click perfection from Brit developer Revolution. Californian tourist George Stobbart gets caught in a terrorist's bomb blast and is quickly entangled in a globe-spanning cult that links back to the medieval Templars. And Revolution did it before Dan Brown, too. Cue clever puzzling in gorgeous locations like a dozy village in Ireland and a serene villa in Spain.
Space Miner: Space Ore BustBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Asteroids-meets-Diablo might seem like a strange combination, but mixing brainless space mining with addictive loot whoring quickly reveals itself to be a carefully mixed formula. You've got to crack chunks of rock to earn money for your humble (celestial) farm, while kitting out your spaceship with progressively more awesome upgrades. It's compulsive.
Drop7Buy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
A puzzler for people much smarter than I. You drop numbered balls into a pit, and if the length of a row matches the number on your sphere, the entire row vanishes from existence. A simple setup, and it never gets much harder, so the only way to rise up the leaderboard is to truly master the mechanics. Number nerds must apply; maths dropouts might want to leave well alone.
Words With FriendsBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Asynchronous online Scrabble. Need we say more? Simply hook up with a buddy and swap lengthy words at your own pace. Thanks to the internet, servers, and push notifications, you'll be able to have your go when it suits you best.
Fruit NinjaBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Slashing the heck out of a banana is surprisingly cathartic. Even when you're up against the clock, or avoiding fizzing bombs, or going head-to-head with a buddy. It's just that the visceral thrill of slicing up fruit and seeing their juices splatter never really grows tired.
Flick Kick Field GoalBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Some games are deep multi-hour adventures, others are brainless timewasters designed to while away a bus ride. Field Goal is the latter, offering an endless procession of balls to punt (or flick) and goals to aim for. If American football isn't your bag, PikPok's done similar games for footy, rugby, and basketball.
Dead SpaceBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
A science fiction spookfest that ties together the plots of the console games. Mystery miner Vandal trudges through another space station full of dead bodies, smeared blood, and intriguing rooms, while a whole series of nasty aliens threaten to have you for dinner. This is a proper shooter with full control of your gunner, and no on-rails nonsense.
SpellTowerBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Word games are a dime a dozen on iTunes, but this slick speller from Zach Gage might just be the best. Part-Boggle and part-Tetris, SpellTower invites you've to spell out words, while thinking about the consequences of cancelling out entire rows of letters. There are loads of different modes to try, so you'll definitely find something you love.
Tiny WingsBuy on iPhone
Tiny Wings has a clever main mechanic. You play as a tiny bird who needs to fly across a stretch of bumpy hills. By tapping the screen, you make the critter dive, so you must make sure it darts down into dips and rockets back out at the mountain peaks. It's as much about rhythm as reflexes, as you feel the ebb and flow of the terrain.
Spider: The Secret of Bryce ManorBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Itsy bitsy spider simulator from Tiger Style. You beat each level by gobbling up a roomful of insects, and you do this by building webs to trap them in. By performing three jumps in a vaguely triangular shape, your little arachnid hero will craft a cobweb, which traps any bug dumb enough to fly into it.
Hector: Ep1 - We Negotiate with TerroristsBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
No doubt about it: the Hector trilogy of seriously funny point-and-click adventures possesses a super-naughty streak. The adventures of layabout copper Hector often descend into the scatological, or pornographic, or fartological. It has a wicked British sense of humour, though, with spot-on satire. Great puzzles, too!
I Dig ItBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Use a spluttering digger to wrestle treasures from the underground. You can only dip into the dirt for a few minutes at a time, so make sure you return to the surface before you run out of fuel. Every time you make some money, you can upgrade your mining machine with bigger fuel tanks or more gnarly drills. It's a carrot-on-the-stick mentality, keeping you gaming until you build the most awesome digger.
ElissBuy on iPhone
A multi-touch marvel with an arty twist. This is all about juggling a bunch of coloured spheres, splitting them apart, sticking them together, and generally keeping them away from balls of other colours. Who knows what it's supposed to represent - it's just pretty and fun.
CanabaltBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Any given attempt at playing Canabalt can usually be measured in seconds, so why have we sacrificed hours to this silhouette platformer? It's because it's very simple - just one tap will make your eternally running hero leap between buildings - but very addictive.
Plants vs ZombiesBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
A comedy tower defence epic from casual game king PopCap. An army of undead walkers are descending upon your house, so you better build some defences. They come in the form of garden-variety plants like peashooters, walnuts, and cherry bombs, which, if placed properly, can stop the zombies in their tracks.
Ticket to RideBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
If virtual boardgames are your thing, then you'll appreciate Ticket to Ride no end, for this is the most delicious digital representation yet. A modern-day German parlour classic comes to iPhone and iPad in style, with drop-dead gorgeous presentation and robust online play. It's are all about building the most prosperous cross-country rail line, while stopping your opponents doing the same.
Flight ControlBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
Was Flight Control the original time-sapping addiction on iOS? Whatever the case, its formula for addiction is still potent even today. You guide a mess of incoming planes to their colour-coded runways. It starts off serene, but you'll soon have a snaking spaghetti of kamikaze jets to untangle, as one crash will end your controller career.
Shantae: Risky's RevengeBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
Metroidvania fun from Canadian developer WayForward. It's got some of the best pixel-art graphics around, and promises a full-fledged adventure for pennies. Bellydancing shape-shifter Shantae has been ignored on Game Boy and DSiWare, so don't let her wonderful game get neglected for a third time.
Bumpy RoadBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
It's such a clever idea, it's hard to believe it hasn't been done before. A little car putters along by itself, but you can lift the road like a cat under the carpet to create impromptu hills, ramps, and jumps. Use these to reach secret Polaroids, which work in unison to spell out a heart-wrenching love story.
Infinity Blade IIBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
It might have been a showcase for Unreal Engine 3 on iOS, but this meaty sword-slasher is more than just a show reel for mobile tech. This is a game about visceral combat and crunchy one-on-one battles. You kit out your hero with swords and shields and hats and gems, before engaging in gesture-based swordfights. If you lose a boss fight, the whole game starts anew - making these end battles even more tense.
Groove CoasterBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
This rhythm game couldn't be simpler. Just tap the screen when your avatar grinds past a note. But, then mix in some twisting turns, rancid Japanese electronica, and strobe light shows, and you've got one seriously intensive music game. It's got some of the best songs on the App Store.
TrainyardBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal)
A wonderfully clever puzzler straight outta Canada. You draw out a train track and hope that a handful of cabooses can reach their destination without crashing. Then, add in obstacles, colour-coded trains, switching signals, and harsh win states. It's imaginative, pulling off loads of clever tricks in such a small package. The level editor is great, too, expanding the game with loads of homemade stages.
Assassin's Creed RecollectionBuy on iPad
Recollection is a trading card game with an Assassin's Creed twist. Meaning it does memories instead of cards, sequences instead of decks, and missions about political subterfuge against the Pope. It's a wonderfully inventive series of rules, featuring a day / night cycle, and a semi-real-time flair.
Beyond YnthBuy on iPhone or buy on iPad
A platformer with a clever twist. Not a lot of those on the App Store, right? Oh. Well, regardless, this is a game about a bug in a box, who can push against said box to topple it over. This turns each stage into a dynamic platforming environment, with the world literally turning on top of its head to suit the puzzle at hand.
League of EvilBuy on iPhone and iPad (Universal) League of Evil is as hard as nails, requires impeccable timing, and demands some serious dexterity. So, why on Earth does it work so well on a touchscreen? More than any other app, Ravenous Games's masochistic Meat Boy-styled jumper feels like it would need buttons. But, somehow, the game works fine, allowing you to pull off ridiculous wall jumps, split-second timing between lasers, and perilous leaps over danger without throwing your smartphone out the window.
