So You Just Got an iPhone? A List of Games to Get.
posted June 22nd, 2009 5:18 AM EDT by arn in Featured, iPhone games, iPod touch games
We figured with the launch of the iPhone 3G S and the introduction of the $99 iPhone 3G, the number of iPhone users will have grown massively just over this past weekend. As a result, we expect we'll see a number of new visitors looking for the best iPhone and iPod Touch games available in the App Store.
While we compiled a list of some of the best games from 2008 back in December, we haven't done much of a wrap up since.
So, here's list of notable games that have been released in 2009. It should be a great list to catch up on some of the best titles this year. Game titles link directly to the app store. Most review links contain gameplay videos.
Required Reading
It's hard to come up with a must have list for the App Store, but you should be familiar with these titles that seem to have already become App Store classics.
- Fieldrunners ($2.99) – Ok, this one didn't come out in 2009 but thought it needed a mention. The tower defense game that really started it all on the iPhone. (review)
- Flight Control ($0.99) – deceptively simple and addictive game that has hit over 1 million sales (review)
- Doodle Jump ($0.99) – Dead simple and crazy addictive. Jump higher and higher. (review)
- Pocket God ($0.99) – Not really a game, so not one I can blindly recommend but it's got a massive appeal. (review)
- Real Racing ($9.99) – Not yet a true "classic" as it just came out, but widely considered the most technically impressive iPhone racing game. (review)
Cheap Fun
Some solid titles at bargain bin prices.
- Wild West Pinball (Free) – great pinball game that's now free (review)
- Let's Golf ($0.99) – high quality arcade golf game on sale (review)
- Stoneloops! ($0.99) – a high quality luxor/zuma clone (review)
- UniWar ($0.99) – turn based strategy with online multiplayer (review)
- iDracula ($0.99) – survival shooter (review)
- Underworlds ($0.99) – a hack and slash dungeon crawler (review)
- Gemmed! ($0.99) – a match-3 game where the goal is not to match-3 (review)
Other Notables
- Zombieville USA ($1.99) – side scrolling survival shooter. (review)
- F.A.S.T. ($4.99) – dog-fighting game with online multiplayer (review)
- Baseball Slugger ($2.99) – home run derby with online head-to-head(review)
- EDGE ($4.99) – wonderful platformer (review)
- Ragdoll Blaster ($1.99) – physics ragdoll game with a goal (review)
- Isotope ($2.99) – Geometry wars-like shooter with RPG elements (review)
- Monster Pinball ($3.99) – a beautiful pinball experience (review)
- Zenonia ($5.99) – an epic action RPG (review)
- Toki Tori ($4.99) – platform puzzler (review)
- geoDefense ($3.99) – a retro/action tower defense game (review)
- Word Fu ($2.99) – word finding dice game (review)
- Brick Breaker Revolution 3D ($2.99) – brick breaking in 3D (review)
Big Brands
- Peggle ($4.99) – named one of the most addictive games of all time (review)
- Bookworm ($4.99) – popular word finding game (review)
- Wolfenstein 3D ($2.99) – grandfather of first person shooters (review)
- Sims 3 ($9.99) – the latest in the Sims series (review)
- Dance Dance Revolution ($6.99) – one of the original rhythm games (review)
- Puzzle Quest ($7.99) – award winning puzzle adventure game (review)
- Need for Speed ($6.99) – great arcade racer (review)
Retro / Classics
- Saucelifter ($0.99) – Choplifter-inspired retro action shooter (review)
- Vector Tanks ($2.99) – Battlezone in your pocket review
- Rogue Touch ($2.99) – iPhone remake of dungeon crawler Rogue (review)
- Oregon Trail ($4.99) – Yes, dysentery can be fun again (review)
- Pinball Dreams ($4.99) – classic Amiga pinball game (review)
- Myst ($5.99) – the classic adventure game review
Only on iPhone / iPod Touch
Some standout titles that use the iPhone / iPod Touch controls in a unique way that couldn't easily exist on most other platforms.
- Space Ninja ($2.99) – space shooter without the shooting. Dodge your way around enemies in "bullet time". (review)
- Touch Ski 3D ($0.99) – multi-touch skiing (review)
- Sway ($4.99) – multi-touch platformer. A true iPhone original. (review)
- Zen Bound ($4.99) – wind rope around wooden blocks in this beautiful zen-like gaming experience (review)
- Eliss ($2.99) – an amazing multi-touch puzzle game (review)
- Ignite ($1.99) – platformer designed with touch controls in mind. (review)
Be sure to check out our 2008 Holiday "Best Of" list (prices listed in the 2008 article may not be accurate any longer).
This is a great list for anyone! This kind of list should exist on the front page at all times.
I would add Touchgrind and Ocarina under the "Only on iPhone / iPod Touch" heading. Both are fantastic examples of the creativity made possible by the unique hardware combination.
Where is Rolando!!!?
Rolando is on the 2008 list linked in the article:
http://toucharcade.com/2008/12/25/best-of-ipod-touch-and-iphone-games-a-2008-holiday-guide/
i mostly stuck to 2009 releases (with one exception) in this list.
arn
This list will be very useful to me. Just upgraded from an HTC device to the iPhone 3GS, which will be arriving today. I've already got a rather large amount of games downloaded in iTunes. Just need the thing to arrive now.
I would put Drop 7 up there as well
Whats sad is that I have almost every game on this list. I'm missing like 2.
And +1 for Drop7
Rolando is missing big time!! It is a masterpiece of a genuine iphone/touch game…
Monster Pinball links to Isotope's iTunes page.
+ I think you meant to link to Brick Breaker Revolution 3D rather than Digital Chocolate's 2D Brick Breaker Revolution.
fixed both. thanks.
+ Real Racing links to Vector Tanks
fixed.
That's it. They all work now.
Ah, come on!
Where is 1112 and Mecho Wars in this list?
I would add NFS: The best racing arcade. Not everyone loves racing sim. NFS is a must have for casual gamers with its easy to pickup and play controls, great stylised visuals and licensed and customisable cars. Maybe put it under 'big brands'.
It's a glaring omission, seriously. Unless Firemint paid you guys to not put it on the list.
Other than that it's a great list, arn. I like how you don't re-include boring old games from 2008 like Rolando. It was all hype anyway.
Munkee said "Other than that it's a great list, arn. I like how you don't re-include boring old games from 2008 like Rolando. It was all hype anyway."
But he did by putting Fieldrunners in there. And left out Star Defense! Why?
Just like he said, Fieldrunners is the one who started it all. 'Honest' user reviews say Star Defense is just a mediocre TD game in gimmicky 3D settings. That said, many sponsored websites have a glowing review about the game. I'm sure it's just coincidence.
I hope it wasn't because of the recent silly outcry of Eli's SD review, that Arn felt it prudent to leave it out this time. It is surely a great achievement of a game.
not to open this discussion up again, but can you find one negative review of Star Defense on any established review site? correlation does not equal causality. If it does, then I'll argue that drinking water causes cancer. Or is it just coincidence that everyone with cancer also drinks water. hmm….
WHERE IS NEED FOR SPEED??????????????????????????????
Real Racing is NOTHING!!
NFS is RACING GOD on iPhone!!!!!!!!
NFS is THE FIRST MUST HAVE GAME FOR IPHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, as I said, it's a GLARING OMISSION. NFS and RR are the two best racer for the iPhone, they're equally great for the target market they're aiming, so I don't know why they don't include it.
Conspiracy.
Check again. You both got your wish.
it was added right after your first post, munkee.
arn
Thanks for listening, arn. I thought you would be too arrogant to listen, but you prove me wrong =]
um… thanks?
arn
Loving munkee's logic. Toucharcade has positive review of stardefense – must have been paid. Toucharcade overlook nfs on must-have list – clearly they were paid to do so. Because it makes sense that firemint would commit money to that. Or, in munkee's mind, it doesn't need to. All that needs to happen is someone disagree with him and they obviously have some sort of shady financial deal behind the scenes
You forgot CS.One!!
That's a good thing they did.
Tower Defense games for people looking for a more traditional Flash TD style experience and hours of replayability:
Besiegement – http://appshopper.com/games/besiegement
7 Cities – http://appshopper.com/games/7-cities-td
I'm not going to respond with some random list of my personal favorite games. As if anyone actually cares.
I'm totally kidding! That's exactly what I'm going to do:
I'd probably pick 7 Days Apocalypse over iDracula (or better yet, both).
For tower defense I'd add Defender Chronicles, Dungeon Defense, 7 Cities, and ElementalMonster (in more or less that order, but they're different and you really need them all
) GeoDefense is already listed above. FieldRunners has not stood the test of time for me, but if you like open-style TD it's certainly a good one. (7 Cities has an open mode too.) Prefer castle defense instead? Knights Onrush.
Fantastic Contraption (physics game with tons of room for creativity) is accurately named. (There's a Flash version online–but the iPhone version has more levels.) For physics with finger-drawing, I've enjoyed Touch Physics and Aqua Forest. Or drawing without the physics: Trace (sort of a platformer).
Color matching? I'm partial to Aurora Feint II, Fuzzle and Neo Same Game. But if you can only have one: Trism remains the best.
For your pen-and-paper style fun, get 2 Across (crosswords), Quick Draw (Internet Pictionary) and Platinum Sudoku.
Word games: Scramboni (Internet multiplayer) and Lexel.
Hidden picture game: Stone of Destiny. (Yeah, yeah. I know. But it's a guilty pleasure.)
For that vector look, try Blue Attack and The Plateau (look up Planarity for a similar online game).
For arcade action: Block Breaker Deluxe 2, Heavy Mach, and Dr. Awesome (great tilt control, feels very precise).
Classics from the early days that are still favorites: Enigmo and Galcon (which I expected to hate, and I loved it).
And be sure to get something in the X-Plane series if you like the idea of flight that isn't a "game" per se.
Oh, and two awesome apps that aren't games but make my iPhone worth it all by themselves: Pandora (custom radio) and Jaadu VNC (see/control your computer from over the Internet). Air Sharing and Ambiance (sleep/sound machine) make runners-up.
Last but not least, I hope Graffitio takes off. It's a cool idea.
Hey this was an awesome list, just today I tweeted looking for some good $0.99 games. This really helps. Thanks!
BeatRider really deserves to be on here. There's really aren't any other titles that let you affect the gameplay with your library.
I'm amazed that Touch Arcade wouldn't consider Touchgrind and Trism as iPhone/iPod classics. These two, along with Fieldrunners, are the definitive set of games for the platform.
It is VERY refreshing to see quality apps on the list. Compared to the 2008 list, the quality of these games is much higher.
Good list, managed to get at least one of our titles on it
Where is The Creeps!?????
How about Strategery??????
AND Wooden Labyrinth 3D??????
Where are the real quality games. I only see a few.
It would be really great if TA had its own dynamic top 100 list, and it was clearly accessible from the front page.
great list. missing few though, and some are definitely over rated. don't want to talk about those over rated (like doodle jump) cause i understand that they appeal to a lot of gamers.
but titles that i miss are (in alphabetical order):
BLIMP, car jack streets, castle of magic, defender chronicles, idroidsmania, kryzer prologue, MECHO WARS, moonlights, top gun, days of thunder, trixel, the void, tiger woods, spheroids.
cheers.
and some other titles worth mentioning: fayju ball, last cannon, amoebas, buka, freefall'n, parachute panic, punk justice, reflexion, realmaze 3d, taxiball.
Just got Ragdoll Blaster and its pretty fun.
Thanks for assembling this list of recommendations. So many fantastic gaming options from which to choose!
I'm quite surprised by the lack of Trace. It's free, simple and fun.
List needs more good Gameloft titles:
Brothers In Arms, Terminator, Asphalt Elite 4 (Cheap fun for 99 cents)…
DinoSmash is another good one for 99 cents. Very addictive.
Really a great list but have one that I loooove, very addictive and well done that I would like to see here and give it a chance. GUDEBALLS!!! I just played it for hours!!!
Caster should definitely make the list. It's the best 3rd person shooter in the App Store.
Great List!
However, in my opinion, I think it is missing a few awesome games, like Up There, Car Jack Streets, Knights On Rush, Snake Galaxy and Tap Tap Revenge 2 (Should definitely be on a cheap fun list!)
Scoops?
Why does Smiles never get any respect? As one of three iPhone finalist for the top prize at the IGF Awards, you’d think it’d get a mention. The other two applications (Fieldrunners, which ultimately won, and Edge), appear both here and on the holiday guide. Smiles appears on neither list.
Sorry to rant, but Smiles is probably my favorite game. So do yourself a favor and check it out. There’s a free version to try out, and if you act quickly, it’s currently on sale.
this is a great way to ensure im getting quality games on my itouch, ill check go down the list and check em off…
Terminater Salvation, CJS, 2XL Supercross, Star Defense, Tap Tap Revenge 2, Moonlights and 3D Rollercoater Rush (not the horrible 2D version) should be on the list as well.
Also IGN posted a similar list: http://uk.wireless.ign.com/articles/996/996410p1.html (they included Star Defense).
Where is Tap Tap Revenge 2?
Might be a bit cheesy to recommend my own game, but if you're looking for a game that uses the accelerometer controls – like Labyrinth, but not totally boring – check out Taxiball. "Crazy Taxi meets Marble Madness," as one of our reviewers put it.
It definitely loads faster on the 3GS, and is a touch snappier overall. I hope you get a chance to check it out! (It's 99 cents!)
+1 for TTR2
Oh my god. I own 30 of the games on the list, some I have completely forgotten about and some i've only played a few times!
@selfawaregames Personally I don't think it's cheesy to recommend your own game
We put alot of work into those babies and this site's users are usually super supportive of devs commenting.
That being said: I love the list. I was just making a similar one for a friend that just got the iphone so it's saved a bunch of time.
One to add, of course, would be Chuck the Ball. It's a great puzzle game that offers alot of gameplay for a low price (we just lowered to ¢99).
There's also a companion game coming out soon (already in Apple's hands) which promises to offer an even better experience than the original…
I recomend "StoneLoops! of Jurassica",
"Urban Kick Academy", "Heavy Mach" and "Aero Wings".
Any of you recommend a similar list for new iPhone adopters but for must have apps, preferably ones that take advantage of the 3.0/3GS upgrades?
I have to be cheesy too and recommend 99cents worth of golden gaming joy with Go! Go! Rescue Squad! This game is made by a company I work for but it is a personal mission to make it succeed! 64 puzzle solving levels is what you get for your money and it makes you laugh out loud, for real, which is awesome.
I agree with Arn's list though – I think he's got all the classics covered.I would only add Edge (may be on the last list) and Car Jack Streets which, again, is a huge game and lots and lots of fun.
…and where is my all time favourite, IDigIt ?