Top 10 Android Games

I’ve previously made a “Top 10 Android Apps” list, but I thought I’d expand on the gaming side.

It can be hard to filter through the wide and growing selection of dross on the Android market to find games to play. If you have low memory Android device, and it’s likely you do, you will only be able to install a few games on your device before it’s starts complaining about space and freezes your text messages. It’s important in this case to only install the best Android games that you know for certain you will play over and over.

Another issue plaguing the Android game scene is the lack of awareness into what sort of device the user has and the situations in which they will play games. It’s no surprise that as the use and accessibility of mobile devices has increased, so has casual games become more popular. I personally don’t feel that portable games platforms are really suited to long-winded games that require dedication and persistence, or attention to plot details. I should also point out that I’ve never been particularly good at arcade games and don’t hold a particular fondness for them. Your mileage may vary.

These are in a vague order. Some I like to play more than others but mainly my preference will be down to mood and how bored of other games I am. I may also amend this list over time as I am exposed to better games. Feel free to suggest any you like.

1. Labyrinth (Illusion Labs)

 

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No, not a game based on the Jim Henson movie staring David Bowie’s genitals. This is a simulation of the old wooden marble maze puzzles, naturally the virtual nature means there is an almost unlimited amount of mazes available without need for any trees being felled.

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2. Scrambled Net (Moonblink)

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Based on the GPL classic Netwalk which is a puzzle based around the construction of an old 10-base-T network, which is itself losely based on Pipedreams.

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3. Pocket Legends (Spacetime Studios)

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The World of Warcraft rip-off. Even down to the exclamation marks above NPCs heads to denote a quest is available from them. It’s kinda shameless but actually quite enjoyable. The game is free to download and play but has the option of micro-payments for premium items, akin to many other contemporary social games.

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4. Dante’s Inferno (TBS Games)

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This an average arcade puzzler but gains respect due to being a game based on Dante’s Inferno. Yes, you probably get more out of it if you’ve read the book though life itself will probably seem somewhat bleaker

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5. Geared (PlayfulArt)

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This is one of those kind of games that Video Games magazines used to describe as “fiendishly difficult” and rate over 90% but would sell very poorly because the audience wanted beat’em ups. It’s a simple puzzler placed against a background or graph paper where you need to connect a turning cog to a station cog using a limited supply of other cogs of different sizes. You need to use them all and if them in the limited screen space. I’ve got to about lvl 38 and am ready to give up on life until I manage to get off it. It’s like crack, but with cog-wheels.

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6. Gem Miner (Psym Mobile)

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Like a more casual, simpler 2D minecraft. You take the role of a grizzled prospector digging into the earth on a search for precious metals. You can use your profits from the sale of such metals to fund bigger and better mining equipment.

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7. Shift (Handmark)

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A minimal monochrome platformer where you have to navigate each level to get to the exit. The twist is that you can “shift” the level making the foreground the background and vice versa.

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8. Devilry Huntress (Smartpix Games)

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Another Bejeweled rip-off, this time with a kitch gothic halloween motif.

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9. Blow Up (Camel Games)

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You’ve got a frame of wood. you’ve got a stuffed toy rag-doll panda and a limited supply of explosives. You need to blow up the frame so that the thing collapses below a certain point and, for a bonus, the rag-doll teddy has to hit a randomly placed star.

So there you go. Top ten games on Android. I got as far as eight before it fizzled out. If anyone has any suggestions for other decent games then I’m happy to know about them.

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10. Angry Birds (Rovio)

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The much-hyped and subsequently much-merchandised Angry Birds. Get revenge upon the pigs wot stole and ate your young by flinging your minions at their homes with a catapult. Doesn’t make sense but is amazingly satisfying. Buy the stuffed toys and fling them at your friends, fill them with explosives first for added excitement.
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