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This year’s roster of game releases should put paid to any doubts about the capability of Apple’s iOS operating system as a gaming platform. There’s no doubt about it — the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are now proper portable consoles.
Apple’s iDevices have played host to a string of triple-A titles from triple-A developers this year, including Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars from Rockstar, Street Fighter IV from Capcom, and Chaos Rings from Square Enix. There have also been some great ports of popular games, such as Plants vs Zombies HD, as well as a whole load of smashing original titles, like Osmos and Cut the Rope.
Here are five more of our favourite iPhone games from 2010. Let us know about your iPhone games of choice in the comments section below.
Trucks and Skulls
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s true, then the makers of Angry Birds should consider themselves flattered to within an inch of their lives. Monster trucks replace the birds and flaming skulls replace the pigs but, in virtually all other respects, Trucks and Skulls looks and plays exactly like Rovio’s irate-avian offering from 2009.
Normally, we might dismiss such a thinly veiled rip-off outright, but Trucks and Skulls is simply too much fun. It’s not as cute as Angry Birds and not quite as imaginative, but who doesn’t want to launch giant trucks off ramps and explode skulls to the tune of a heavy metal soundtrack? The £1.19 iPad version comes with a built-in level designer too.Score: 4Download from iTunes: £0.59
Rage HD
Rage HD is an on-rails first-person shooter that pits you against a dungeon full of mutants in an ultra-violent, post-apocalyptic TV game show. There’s little plot or character development to worry about — all you need to do is shoot bad guys, preferably in the face. The downsides are that there’s only a handful of levels, and not much reason to keep playing beyond beating your own high score. Rage HD is well worth downloading, though, if only to find out what your iPhone is truly capable of in the graphics department.
We’ve recommended the HD version here because it works on both the iPhone and iPad, with the latter device providing a bigger and better way to enjoy the visuals.Score: 3.5Download from iTunes: £1.19
Trainyard
You don’t have to be an anorak-clad trainspotting type to enjoy this railway-based puzzle game. The idea is basic — get your train from point A to point B without crashing, laying tracks by tracing your finger along your chosen route. That might sound simplistic, and the early levels are indeed fairly easy. But things end up getting pretty hair-raising when you have multiple trains and overlapping tracks to contend with.
Its top-down visual style is minimalist but effective and its bite-sized brainteasers are, fittingly, perfect for boring train journeys. If you don’t believe us — and we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t — then download the free ‘Express’ version and try it out for yourself.Score: 4Download from iTunes: £1.79
Pix’n Love Rush
The iTunes Store is crammed full of retro games, like Pac-Man or the original Sonic the Hedgehog, shrunk down and repackaged with touch controls and, occasionally, made-over graphics. Pix’n Love Rush, on the other hand, might look and play like an arcade game from the 1980s but it’s actually an original title, and a beautifully crafted love letter to an era of gaming that’s currently making a big comeback on our handsets.
The game involves hopping onto platforms placed around beautifully designed levels, collecting plus signs, avoiding minus signs, and shooting enemies — all in the good old-fashioned name of beating your high score. Support for Game Center (the iPhone’s online gaming hub) plus stylish retro visuals plus addictive gameplay equals hurty thumbs.Score: 4Download from iTunes: £0.59
Infinity Blade
Mobile gaming has come a long way since we sat huddled on the bus playing Snake on our old Nokia phones. Infinity Blade represents another huge leap forward for mobile gaming. It’s the first phone-based title to use the Unreal Engine, and it really shows — Infinity Blade looks cornea-searingly beautiful, especially on the ‘retina display’ of the iPhone 4 or fourth-generation iPod touch.
Gameplay involves swinging your sword at a host of grisly medieval baddies, and avoiding incoming blows with carefully timed dodges and parries. Infinity Blade isn’t absolutely perfect, but it deserves its place on the list for pushing the mobile gaming forward.Score: 4Download from iTunes: £3.49
Winner: Game Dev Story
A self-referential simulation game about running your very own videogame studio might not sound like a recipe for success but — trust us — Game Dev Story is a surprisingly accessible and highly addictive stroke of genius.
Complete with Theme Hospital-era graphics, gameplay involves managing your projects, staff, funds, fan base and so on. You’ll make all the big decisions that go into producing a game. Do you strive for perfection or release a barely tested beta that’s full of bugs? Do you develop for exciting new ‘Intendro’ and ‘Senga’ consoles as they’re launched, or do you take on low-paid contract jobs designing mascots for other developers? If you have even the vaguest interest in gaming, you’ll find this tongue-in-cheek title virtually impossible to put down.Score: 5 Download from iTunes: £2.39
