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Quality Index's Top 10 rated iOS and Android games of January 2013

Starring Joe Danger, Temple Run 2, and more

Quality Index's Top 10 rated iOS and Android games of January 2013
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If you were wondering what the best-reviewed iOS and 'droid games on the web last month were, here are the iPhone Quality Index, iPad Quality Index, and Android Quality Index round-ups for January to fill you in.

The iPhone, iPad, and Android Quality Indexes boast over 650,000 reviews (in total) from websites like 148Apps, Pocket Gamer, and GameSaku, and use a unique metric to create a single definitive score for each iOS and Android title.

Hungry for more

The year 2013 has truly started with a bang for iPhone gamers, as the January iPhone Qi game chart duly demonstrates.

Futuretro Studio's Hungry Oni takes the #1 spot, thanks primarily to its delightfully simple chomp-'em-up gameplay and clean visual style.

Hundreds, meanwhile, fully deserves its third place spot on the January chart on account of its beautifully abstract and minimalist puzzler gameplay.

Hundreds is a bit weird and a bit vague, but you just try putting it down.

Finally, down in a respectable seventh place, Paladin Studios's Momonga Pinball Adventures brings the humble game of pinball bang up to date.

Momonga Pinball Adventures's maker takes the flipper controls of the classic game and places them in a luscious 3D adventure starring an adorable fluffy creature.

Qi's Top 10 iPhone games of January 2013

Pos.

Game

Qi rating Reviews
1 Hungry Oni 9.1 3
2 Joe Danger 8.9 16
3 Hundreds 8.9 12
4 The Lords of Midnight 8.8 5
5 Scribble Hero 8.8 5
6 Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes 8.6 11
7 Momonga Pinball Adventures 8.5 9
8 Banana Kong 8.4 6
9 The Blockheads 8.4 5
10 Pixel Defenders Puzzle 8.4 4


Over on the January iPad Qi game chart, meanwhile, the race to the checkered flag went right to the wire... Joe Danger eventually takes pole position this month, though, with its maker, Hello Games, wowing critics with a carefully considered re-imagining of its modern-day console gem.

This breezy stunt bike platformer has been carefully re-engineered for the iPad... and you can tell.

Kumobius's Time Surfer brings up the rear courtesy of a potent blend of Tiny Wings HD-like endless-swooping and a nifty time-rewind feature.

Qi's Top 10 iPad games of January 2013

Pos.

Game

Qi rating Reviews
1 Joe Danger 8.9 16
2 Hundreds 8.9 12
3 The Lords of Midnight 8.8 5
4 Scribble Hero 8.8 5
5 Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes 8.6 11
6 Momonga Pinball Adventures 8.5 9
7 Banana Kong 8.4 6
8 The Blockheads 8.4 5
9 Pixel Defenders Puzzle 8.4 4
10 Time Surfer 8.3 12


Over in the world of Android, however, a race for first place of a different kind is taking place...

On the inside line is PBA Bowling Challenge, which lets us get our strike-hitting kicks without the need for silly footwear. Bonus.

At #5, we have the return of a heavyweight champ in the form of Imangi's insanely popular smartphone gem Temple Run 2.

It's tighter, prettier, and more varied than the original game-that-launched-a-thousand-endless-runners.

Ant Raid, meanwhile, serves up real-time strategy on a microscopic scale, as you command your insect minions to defend and attack.

Finally, in at #8, we have Zenonia 5, the latest in Gamevil's popular action-RPG franchise.

With the best 2D graphics yet and an exciting PvP multiplayer element, this fifth instalment represents another strong entry in the long-running series.

Qi's Top 10 Android games of January 2013

Pos.

Game

Qi rating Reviews
1 Word to Word - Fun Association 9.1 3
2 PBA Bowling Challenge 9.0 3
3 Bowling Paradise Pro 8.5 3
4 Baseball Superstars 2013 8.4 3
5 Temple Run 2 8.3 6
6 Metal Slug 3 8.3 3
7 Ant Raid 7.8 7
8 Zenonia 5 7.6 4
9 Around the World in 80 Days 7.5 3
10 Hyperwave 6.9 3

N.B. While we only display the average score to one decimal place, the lists are generated to further significant figures. We just don't show them all. And, naturally, these are static graphs based on live listings which are subject to constant change as new releases and reviews emerge.

In order to provide a regular marker of the critical zeitgeist, however, we will continue to round up the best of the iOS and Android games released each month to provide the definitive Quality Index top tens.

iPhone Qi
/ iPad Qi / Android Qi

Jon Mundy
Jon Mundy
Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.