10 iPhone Games You Must Own ~ Random Tech Stuff

For many gamers, the iPhone is the first mobile platform with videogames that are actually worth playing. The gadget's winning combination of touchscreen and motion controls means games can be much more intuitive and fun than if you were trying to play with a regular phone's tiny keypad.

Perhaps more importantly, Apple's unique approach to game distribution — allowing anyone to produce and sell games through iTunes for a nominal fee — has caused the App Store to virtually explode with software. Apple has sold more than 20 million iPhones, plus countless more iPod Touch music players, giving the devices enormous reach as a gaming platform.

We wanted to write a list of our favorite iPhone (and iPod Touch) games, but we knew it couldn't possibly be comprehensive or definitive. But these 10 games are the highest-quality ones we have played so far, the ones that are definitely worth downloading.

We're sure that you brilliant Wired.com readers have your own favorite iPhone games — probably some we haven't even heard of. At the end of this article, you can nominate and vote for your own favorite iPhone games.

Best Guilty Pleasure: Yahtzee Adventures ($3)

I am positively mortified to admit it, but I can't stop playing this. Yes, Yahtzee is a game of rolling dice and hoping that you land a high-scoring combination. Only the barest of skill is required, and playing against an emotionless machine should not be nearly as fun as playing against a roomful of friends. And yet somehow I haven't been able to stop. The fact that you can pass around the iPhone to play it with up to four friends makes it an ideal time-killer for groups, and new modes like Rainbow (with colored dice!) add variety. Oh, I am so ashamed.

Best Use of Space Ducks and Donuts: Newtonica 2 ($1)

I'm friends with this game's designer. I say that in the interest of full disclosure. Also to brag, because Newtonica 2 is really fun. You're a duck, adrift in space. You tap little circles that push the duck into the void, in hopes of pushing him into a safety vortex. And you collect donuts, which are usually placed in inconvenient spots that make it that much harder to find your way. It starts off easy, but gets quite tricky. Passed all the puzzles? Get the sequel, Newtonica 2 Resort, for another buck.

Best Indie Game Sensation: Crayon Physics Deluxe ($5)

The PC version of this game, in which you draw objects using a virtual crayon that comes to life and has real-world physical properties, took home the grand prize at last year's Independent Games Festival. The object of each level is to roll a red ball into a yellow star. How are you going to do it? You're limited only by your ability to draw. You can solve the puzzles with simple shapes, or draw elaborate ones. Draw one, draw 10. Drawing with your finger on the iPhone's screen rather than with a mouse takes a bit of getting used to, but it works quite well.

Best Game That Shouldn't Have Worked: SimCity ($10)

When Electronic Arts announced a port of SimCity for the iPhone, I was a bit scared. Not only is the series vastly more complex than most iPhone games, it has always required at least a gamepad, and more often than not a keyboard and mouse. Luckily, those fears were unfounded — EA managed to translate all the game's controls into an easy-to-learn series of finger taps and swipes. Everything from designing complex highway systems to destroying buildings with an impromptu alien attack is literally just a touch away. The complexities of running a virtual metropolis keep this title from being a casual, pick-up-and-play iPhone game, but for those looking for something to suck away hours of their life on long flights, SimCity is the perfect solution.

Best Game Clearly Inspired By Rez: Edge ($6)

If I didn't know any better, I'd say Edge was designed by the team that gave us Rez and Lumines. It's not. But the thumping techno soundtrack combined with the Tron-style graphics bring back that old feeling. Your job is to roll a cube through levels filled with peril, picking up gleaming pixels and reaching the exit of each level. You can choose between swiping the screen or tilting the phone to move — I found swiping to be much more accurate, especially considering that pitfalls await all over the place.

Best Game That'll Be Gone Soon: GW Helmet (Free)

Hey, remember the Game & Watch handheld, Nintendo's first big hit product? Those little LCD games oozed charm from their liquid crystals, and the cute graphics belied some occasionally maddening gameplay. GW Helmet is a pitch-perfect ripoff of one of the originals, where you have to guide an infinite number of unlucky hard-hat guys across a construction site where tools and buckets are raining from the sky. You'd swear somebody took an old Game & Watch and shoved it into your iPhone. You'd also swear that these G&W clones are likely to be the target of a C&D from Nintendo, meaning you should download these now — besides Helmet, there's Fire, Octopus, Chef and Parachute, although the latter titles cost $2 each. The very topical Bank Panic ($1) has the benefit of looking like a Game & Watch title but not actually infringing upon Nintendo's copyrights.

Best Game in an Inexplicably Crowded Genre: Field Runners ($5)

Simplicity is the key feature of the iPhone's best games, and what could be more simple than a game that is almost entirely described by its two-word title? Field Runners sees an endless stream of enemies running across a field toward your base. To ensure peace in your base, you strategically place deadly weaponry in their path. That's the entire game. The App Store is lousy with "tower defense" games, and with good reason: The balancing act of deciding whether your forces would be better served with a simple machine gun or the more expensive electric zapper as your enemies become more numerous and more tenacious is pure addictive fun. As an added bonus, no Field Runners level lasts more than a minute, making the game a perfect fit for short bus trips or waiting in line at the post office. If you prefer a Final Fantasy flavor with your tower defense, try Square Enix's Crystal Defenders ($8).

Best Game About Unrealistic Surgery: Dr. Awesome ($1)

Being a doctor is, in fact, awesome. Judging from this game, it mostly has to do with playing a motion-controlled version of arcade classic Qix. You're moving a cursor around the playfield, trying to section off segments of some unidentified part of a patient's anatomy while avoiding evil, killer bacteria. Once you slice away enough of the infected area, the infection can't go on living. Later levels up the challenge by introducing faster-moving foes that home in on your cursor, forcing you to get better at tilting your iPhone with surgical precision. Dr. Awesome even uses your phone's contact list to populate its cast of patients. Because it feels that much worse when your friends die on the table.

Best Port of a Game You Already Have: Bejeweled 2 ($3)

If Tetris is the videogame equivalent of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9," the Bejeweled series is Abbey Road. Since debuting in 2004, the game's simple, newbie-friendly "match three gems" gameplay has addicted tens of millions of gamers by virtue of its gentle learning curve and subtle complexity. The latest iteration of the series, a port of Bejeweled 2 for the iPhone, perfectly re-creates the series' trademark gameplay with touchscreen controls. Unlike other games with glitchy, rushed iPhone versions, Bejeweled works perfectly. Whether you prefer the slow, methodical gameplay of Classic Mode or the tension of Action Mode's ticking clock, Bejeweled 2 translates perfectly to iPhone.

Best Improvement on Someone Else’s Game: Rolando ($6)

You don't have to say it: Rolando looks and feels exactly like Sony's PSP game Loco Roco, from the cartoony blobs of color to the very gameplay, which involves tilting the world around to roll said blobs of color to safety. But Rolando has more depth to its gameplay. Some blobs roll; others stick to the walls. Some bounce around of their own accord, and you must figure out how to save them from spazzing out into hazards. Tons of levels make this one of the few iPhone games that is more involved experience than casual diversion.

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