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Best iPhone and iPad Games of the Week: 11/21/14 – ‘Crossy Road’, ‘Vainglory’, ‘XCOM’, and ‘Crystal Siege’

TouchArcade Rating:

This week it seems like we’re handing out five star reviews like it’s going out of style, but all of these games are great and two of them won’t even cost you a penny to play, basically ever. That’s pretty awesome, right? Anyway, it’s probably safe to get used to weeks like this, at least for the next couple weeks, as the end of the year is almost fully upon us.

Crossy Road, Free [Review] – Crossy Road is a simple game, but there’s clearly a lot of work that went into making it one of the best ‘simple’ experiences that can be enjoyed. This is already the kind of game where I’m going back and forth with people for high scores, and sharing my high scores to Twitter. I’ve become absolutely hooked to this game, and I don’t see that ending any time soon. It does a wondeful job at balancing out being accessible, and a free game that both can be played for free, but isn’t necessarily afraid to try and make a little money, either. Play this game.

Vainglory for iPhone, Free [HD] – [Review] – Seeing how Vainglory is free, there’s really no reason not to check it out. However, I’d go even further and say that it’s probably the best MOBA on iOS and offers both an awesome experience for MOBA veterans while also providing an approachable avenue for novices. Simply put, you owe it to yourself to check out Super Evil Megacorp’s latest masterpiece.

XCOM®: Enemy Within, $4.99 [Review] – Sequels get a bad wrap. When you consider the benefits a prime iteration of a game or movie has going for it, its no wonder the follow up that lacks the initial reveal often disappoints. Luckily you don’t have to worry about disappointment if you pick up 2k’s XCOM: Enemy Within. Enemy Within has packed on a ton of features that dovetail seamlessly with it’s successor.

Crystal Siege, Free [Review] – iPad owners who love tower defense need to give Crystal Siege a shot. The blend of RPG elements with tower defense makes for a fantastic combination, one that feels rather involved. And people who don’t like tower defense games might enjoy this in particular because it is so action-oriented. I’m not really sure why this is an iPad exclusive, as while the levels are really designed for the 4:3 iPad aspect ratio, some levels have scrolling elements, too. Add in some zooming or possibly tweak the levels for 16:9 aspect ratios, and it feels like this game could easily work on phones, as is the plan. Some of the detailed visuals and animations will be lost on smaller screens, sure, but I see no reason why this game can’t be playable on phones. As such, people who don’t own iPads will just have to wait patiently until this finally releases for iPhone, but it’ll be worth the wait.

Additionally, we reviewed a few other games this week. As always, you can dig into all of our reviews by clicking here. Alternatively, you can hit up specific scores by using these links:

  • Crystal Siege

    A stunning Tower Defense and RPG hybrid with incredible attention to detail. ++ ACTIVE COMBAT Control your avatar and e…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • XCOM®: Enemy Within

    ***NOTE: Compatible with iPad 3, iPad mini 2, iPhone 5 and up. WILL NOT be able to run on earlier generations, despite b…
    TA Rating:
    $4.99
    Buy Now
  • Crossy Road

    Why did the Chicken cross the road? Why did the Pigeon leave THAT there? Why did Unihorse eat all that candy? Crossy Ro…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now
  • Vainglory for iPhone

    == FEATURED BY APPLE DURING THE SEPTEMBER EVENT 2014 KEYNOTE! ==

    Outplay real opponents in this deep, uncompro…
    TA Rating:
    Free
    Buy Now