Top 10 best Android games of October 2013
Stellar iOS conversions, lush shooters, and yet more stellar iOS conversions
The anger we feel towards a rock star who continually ignores our home town on successive tours is very similar to the anger we feel towards iOS game makers who don't bother porting their titles to Android immediately.
Saying that, at least many of these game makers do eventually get around to producing iOS-to-Android conversions. Mick Jagger, meanwhile, still hasn't played Royal Tunbridge Wells.
And make no mistake, October's batch of 'latecomers' do make us starstruck. This month, we've seen some of the heavy hitters of mobile gaming finally rolling up on the Google Play Store weeks, months, and (in some cases) well over a year after their Apple debut.
In case you're new to this feature, here's how it works: we take a look back at our own Android reviews section from the past month. We also take a peek at the Quality Index boards, and feed in any interesting titles that have caught our attention during the month.
Naturally, this list is far from definitive, so please do tell us what your own favourite Android games of the month were in the comments section below.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top ten Android games of the past 30 days.
EmpireBy Crazy monkey Studios - buy on Android
The creator of this cleverly streamlined mixture of strategy, boardgame, and deck builder is brutal in its casual disregard for your continued survival, yet it keeps you coming back for more with its mobile-friendly interface.
Dead Trigger 2By Madfinger Games - buy on Android
More GPU-bothering, zombie-slaying FPS mayhem from the Madfinger team.
Dead Trigger 2 is every bit as technically impressive as you'd expect, but with more varied levels than its predecessor and a thoughtfully streamlined control system.
Fist of AwesomeBy I Fight Bears - buy on Android
The classic scrolling beat-'em-up gets reinvented again with this humour-filled effort from I Fight Bears.
Appropriately enough, you fight bears in Fist of Awesome. And thanks to a well-thought-out swipe-based combat system, it actually works well on touchscreen devices.
Plants vs Zombies 2By PopCap Games - buy on Android
PopCap's mega-sequel finally surfaces on Android in all its quirky tower defence glory.
It's still got that divisive IAP system (you either hate it or can live with it), but this is offset by a brilliantly expanded set of zombie-eviscerating tools and levels.
Clash of ClansBy Supercell - buy on Android
Another iOS titan lands on Android.
Clash of Clans is the freemium city builder that really 'hits the sweet spot'. It feels strategically sound and eminently rewarding in spite of the money-making mechanism at its core.
The BlockheadsBy Noodlecake Studios - buy on Android
The Blockheads is another mobile game inspired by Minecraft, though it's one of the better ones you're likely to come across.
Switching the view to side-on and simplifying the controls for touchscreen, Noodlecake has cooked up a highly accessible yet ocean-deep world-building adventure game.
Random HeroesBy Ravenous Games - buy on Android
The first Random Heroes came out more than a year ago on iOS. There have since been two sequels.
But how can we stay mad at the developer of this brilliantly tight and hard-as-nails 2D platformer when the game is this good?
Welcome to Android, old fella!
TrouserheartBy Dicework Games - buy on Android
The brains behind this simple-minded brawler certainly wear their hearts on their, er, trousers.
Move around bashing stuff and collecting loot. It's the basis of a thousand video games, and this game makes you realise why.
BlackbarBy Colin Cornaby - buy on Android
So far, we haven't really highlighted anything massively original on this month's Android list.
Blackbar stands out a mile in the freshness stakes, though, with its kind-of-interactive story structure and stylish government censorship-inspired presentation.
Hero AcademyBy Robot Entertainment - buy on Android
With this online strategy game, Robot Entertainment delivers turn-based combat to the Android masses.
Imagine a game of chess played with RPG-inspired playing pieces, and you're part of the way there.
Another Android latecomer, but a welcome one.
Top 10 best Android games: September 2013
Top 10 best Android games: August 2013
Top 10 best Android games: July 2013
Top 10 best Android games: June 2013
Top 10 best Android games: May 2013
Top 10 best Android games: April 2013