10 iPhone Games Everyone Should Own
10.Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Monkey Island is a fantastic game that newcomers to the series will like for its great sense of humor and clever puzzles and old series fans will love simply because of the nostalgia. You can switch between the new visuals and the classic visuals on the fly by swiping two fingers across the screen, which makes it fun to compare the old to the new. The puzzles are sometimes obtuse, but fortunately shaking the iPhone activates hints, which help dramatically in making the game less frustrating. The controls take some getting used to, but the characters, environments and humor are all so good that it's worth it.
9. Siberian Strike
Siberian Strike is a very pretty top-down shooter from Gameloft in which you choose from one of three characters and head out into the skies to blow stuff up. There's not really much to the game, but it does have three-player local co-op play, and the game itself lasts quite a while. Plus, it's extremely cheap. It can get pretty hard later on, but it's fun and addictive, and definitely worth checking out.
8. Zooloretto
Unless you're a board game fanatic and you actually care about these kinds of games then chances are you've never heard about Zooloretto. And I can't fault you for that. Prior to the release of Chillingo's iPhone adaption of the game I'd never even heard the name, but the cute, colorful graphics and interesting premise attracted me, and the pass-it-around multiplayer works surprisingly well. The game might take a little time for some people to learn, but it's cute, fun and addictive.
7. TimeLoop
TimeLoop is a pretty obscure iPhone title, but it looks great and controls well. The object of the game is to activate switches, open doors and collect cats, then activate a TimeLoop to record your actions. It's not exactly a new concept, but TimeLoop pulls it off so well that it feels fresh.
6. Alive 4-ever
If you can get over the fact that the concept and name are a complete rip-off of Left 4 Dead then you'll enjoy Alive 4-ever's smooth controls and fun gameplay. You can choose from four characters, customize their skills and loadouts, and then play a variety of story missions that range from killing a bunch of zombies to rescuing civilians. It's like iDracula with a lot more variety. It's very cheap, and if you've got any friends with an iPhone or iPod Touch then you can play cooperatively with them.
5. Stoneloops! of Jurassica
It's kind of a Luxor clone, but Stoneloops! is a ton of fun thanks to great controls, tons of levels and pointless but satisfying house upgrades that give you some added incentive to play. And once you complete the main game, you can play Grab-n-Shoot, which, instead of supplying you with stones to shoot, has you grabbing and shooting stones from the row of stones. It's incredibly addictive and a ton of fun. It's definitely one to check out.
4. Paper Toss
Paper Toss, in addition to being awesome, is absolutely, 100% free! You can pay 99 cents for the ad-free version, but if you're willing to do that then I'd suggest Paper Toss World Tour. The goal of the game is to land the paper ball in the trash can, but there's a fan that pushes the paper out of the way. This means you have to monitor the strength of the wind and adjust your shot accordingly to get it right. It's unbelievably addictive.
3. MonsterKill
MonsterKill is a perfect example of an iPhone game done right. It's not ashamed of its console, like many of Gameloft's games, which attempt to imitate console games, but rather, it embraces the iPhone's excellent touch controls by using gestures to kill monsters. MonsterKill is like a tower defense game where instead of setting up towers to kill the enemies, you do it yourself through finger gestures. For example, to make lightning, you make a zig-zag gesture. To cut a zombie in half, you swipe your finger across them. The controls are responsive, intuitive and fun, and it helps that the game looks and sounds excellent.
2. Critter Crunch
50 adventure levels, 60 puzzle levels, a survival mode and a time trial mode will keep you busy for a long time, and the adorable graphics, smooth controls and creative gameplay make Critter Crunch a real gem. It's also incredibly addictive. Without a doubt one of the iPhone's best games, and not just because it's so much fun, but because it possesses the cuteness to cheer you up when you're feeling down.
1. Doodle Jump
It's not the prettiest, most original or feature filled game on this list, but Doodle Jump is the kind of game that you can pick up and play whenever you're bored, and it will hook you, making it difficult to put it down. Beating your own high scores is satisfying, and the real-time scores on the edge of the screen showing others players' scores is a genius feature. There are also a ton of different platforms and hazards, as well as enemies to attack, which keeps you on your toes. And it's only 99 cents!
