It's been over two years since I purchased my first Android device and gaming sure has changed on this platform. I remember being quite disappointed with Android gaming when contrasted to what was available on iOS, but I stuck with it and two years later and we've got games like Grand Theft Auto III making a showing on Android. However, and I've been wanting to do this for months, I think there are some titles that deserve a second look and I want to bring attention to them again given that this blog format really kind of stinks for a review website (and hopefully that will change soon so that reviews are better indexed in early 2012). I really need the ability to find reviews based on ratings and such.
I'll also note that these are presented in alphabetical order as I have a hard time with top tens. How can I really compare a race game to a strategy game to a puzzle game and create a numbered order to them? These are simply games that are available, have made it onto my phone/tablet, and that have stayed there. They also have to be a few months old and of sufficient quality that I keep coming back for more. The only thing that matters here is fun and do I keep playing it month after month is my litmus test.
Angry Birds - Angry Birds really doesn't need any extra publicity given all of the plush toys available for both children and dogs and the recently released board game version, but it gets play every day at our house now that my two year old requests it by name. Ok, I play it too. We're playing the Christmas Season 2012 levels right now that are a part of Angry Birds Seasons. I don't think Angry Birds is amazing, but it has maintained longevity and is so well polished that it's got a place in my top ten.
Deadly Dungeons - I enjoy a good adventure, but there's something about the mobile platform that causes me to not want to play a deep adventure game and prefer a dungeon crawler that I can pick up and put down at will. You know... the kind of game you can play for five minutes while the wife uses the ladies room and you're left waiting outside. Deadly Dungeons fits that bill best for me and I appreciate that the developer has continued to maintain the game and is currently working on an expansion.
Flick Kick Field Goal - I'm glad we've got a couple of full football games on Android, but neither has really been a staple of my entertainment. Flick Kick Field Goal, however, has. I like the variety of modes and that need to play 'just one more game'.
Flight Control - Flight Control was a game I adored on my iPod Touch and was deperate for a good equivalent on Android. Many similar titles came and went and some were quite good, but the original Flight Control (which I don't appear to have ever reviewed) is the one that I've kept around. I even played it again this morning.
Galcon - Another game that I first became familiar with on iOS and that had a few clones on Android before making the leap. Galcon is a real-time risk game with lots of modes of play such that you'll eventually hit that point that's 'just right' in terms of difficulty. And what a rush... the real-time element with ships flying back and forth really creates quite the frenzy of action in a game that's all about strategy.
Homerun Battle 3D - Homerun Battle 3D is a game that shows off great use of the accelerometer control in mobile devices. In fact, I'm still wondering why nobody (including Homerun Battle 3D maker Com2US) uses this kind of control in a full baseball game. Nonetheless, this was and continues to be a blast to play.
Panzer Panic -This game has to be the one game that I just can't comprehend why it doesn't get more attention. It may be my absolute favorite game if I had to pick one. I love dragging the little tanks around and flicking ink blots at other tanks... I love the debris that accumulates on the playfield... I love trying to coodinate multiple tanks at once although often I find myself keeping two out of harms way and playing with one. This fantastic game is so underrated. Yes, I'd like more in terms of objectives out of this game engine, but the skirmish mode has been enough for me to keep it around.
QB Attack Deluxe Football - This game, like Panzer Panic, never seemed to get any attention. It also seems to have been abandoned by its developer at version 1.0 which also makes it one of the games that most depresses me. In a nutshell, it's a timing game where you're trying to complete passes to receivers and it's done very well. I've easily gotten my $1.49 worth of play out of it and much more and it's still well worth it even if the dev has abandoned it. It works great on my tablet, too (as do all of the other games in this list). PLEASE continue work on this one or send your source code to me so that I can.
Roll Or Don't - A port of the old Sid Sackson board game classic called Can't Stop that is well done, has solid AI, and continues to get playtime on my phone. Not familiar with Can't Stop? It's a push your luck game that I describe more completely in my review.
Slitherlink - Slitherlink is a puzzle game that is different, but requires similar logic skills to puzzles like Sudoku. I burned out on Sudoku in the years before I got an Android and this has perhaps filled the need for such a puzzle game.
There you go... and I believe for under $20 you can own them all and I doubt you'd be sorry with any of them.
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