5321

For me (and my only iOS device is an iPod Touch so this may be biased toward less complex games that work on the slightly smaller screen):

Smiles

It’s an extremely well done match three. I don’t really like the m3 genre, but I like this game and have been playing off and on for months.

Peggle

The iOS implementation is fun. Again, been playing off and on for months

Tiny Wings

Single button game, plays well in 2 min snatches while waiting for [event]. It’s a use case for a gaming device I had not anticipated.

I happened to manage to wipe my iPod’s user data a few months ago (don’t remember how). The above three games are the only one’s I’ve played with frequency both before and after the wipe event.

Choosing two more I’d get:

Space Miner

Fun asteroids game. Controls work really well. Beautiful graphics. Have not however managed the enthusiasm to play through the campaign again.

Plants vs Zombies

All of Pop Cap’s games are fun. Have not been motivated to replay the campaign.

I don’t know how long KoDP or Starbase:Orion will stand up over time, based on how I think about them now, they’d both be solid choices for the last 2 games.

5322

Civ Rev
Pirates!
World of Goo
KoDP
Super Stick Golf

Those are the ones I’ve got the most time with. Pirates! Was meant to be played on this platform, though some elements have been left out or changed slightly. Companions is also a fun dungeon crawler with a nice take on things.

Oh and another vote for PvZ, pretty fun way to spend a few hours.

5323

Peggle is one of the first games that I got for my iPhone. And it is still fun. And no matter what anyone says, Angry Birds is also cool.
Also Worms 2 and Neuroshima Hex.

Blood and Honor is cool. A Risk variant.

Starbase Orion.

Kard Combat.

Unusual games are Hex Chess, Bocce-Ball and Minute Commander.

KarateChamp is exactly like the arcade game.

Civilization Revolution will surprise you if you’re a Civ fan.

There are a lot more on my iPhone but those are the ones I’d recommend first.

5324

Dungeon Raid - there is a good reason this game has its own large thread on this board. Is my hard level score still up near the top of the leader boards? Such a good game.

Tiny Wings - Elegant. So, so elegant. Simple, yet so deep. This is a bizarre comparison, but I liken it to Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, in that to succeed you need to practice and practice until you can perfect each level. The levels get regenerated each day, too, although they all keep to a particular theme. Island 5 is always has a big mountain, Island 6 always has small valleys that are hard to nail.

Plants Versus Zombies - More so if you haven’t played it already, but the iVersion now has the mini-games and Zen Garden. You can snag this for $0.99 every so often, but it’s worth paying the $3 or so anyway.

Space Miner - This has to be one of the best games on the iStore, I don’t know of anyone not liking it. You can try the freemium Space Miner Blast if you want to get an idea of what the game play is like. I actually just play Blast when I want some Space Miner goodness now.

Ninjatown - Trees of Doom. An endless climber by the same people who made Space Miner. I’ve spent 50+ hours trying to perfect my skills at this game. The timed mode that was added in an update is the best way to play, once you get the hang of the game.

There are lots of others I could add, Jetpack Joyride is pretty awesome, Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds have spent months and months at the top of the charts for good reason.

5325

underrated? I’ll go with:

Helsing’s Fire
Cat Physics
Orbital
Amazing Breaker
Auditorium

5326

Filtatron is currently a buck, and although it isn’t a game it’s as good as any game I’ve played for goofing off with: http://www.moogmusic.com/products/apps/filtatron

EDIT: And, it doesn’t work with iOS 5 right now, but you’ll be glad you got it at a discount when they inevitably fix it.

5327

Thanks for the heads up. Filtratron is amazing.

5328

Monsters Ate My Condo.

It’s like the Serenity commercial for Fruity Oaty Bars, the Japanese Seizure robots, and a match-3 had a threesome.

5329

Anyone played King of Dragon Pass? Stumbled upon it on toucharcade http://toucharcade.com/2011/09/08/king-of-dragon-pass-review/ and it sounds intriguing.

5330

It’s a fantastic game, and the iOS port is really well done. There are several threads on KoDP floating around the forum already.

5331

It’s a great game, and there’s a game-specific thread around here somewhere, where the programmer posts occasionally

5332

This is an endearingly insane game. I’m not sure about the longevity, though. I made 18.3 million points and got a diamond combo at first attempt.

5333

Do you like games that have deep and evolving back stories?
Do you like games where the decisions you make in the first hour can affect what happens in the fortieth hour?
Do you like games where single playthroughs can take as long as 5 hours?
Do you like Choose Your Own Adventure books (for adults)?
Do you like games where combat isn’t twitch, but relies on both statistics and choosing the right decision in the heat of battle?

If so, this is the game for you. Oh, and the graphics are pretty nice too, whether you’re using an iPod/iPhone or iPad.

5334

I am currently at 16.728.577.627 points and I am not even ranked in the top 2500. I love this game, it is totally bonkers!

5335

Yup. If you haven’t found them already, here are the two that sold me on the game:

  1. Kalle’s play-nearly-through of the original PC game will give you a good idea of the gameplay. (And it’s a fun read.)

  2. Recent thread on the iOS port. Which, echoing Chris and others, is very well done. I never played the original, but at least a few people have commented that the interface in the new version is in some ways superior.

It’s comparatively pricy, and text heavy, and some of the behind-the-scenes dynamics (combat, heroquests) can be frustrating until you get a feel for them. But I didn’t mind losing the games I lost, and I’ve won a couple of short games now and am still having hours of fun with the long game. I easily got my money’s worth.

Alan’s list of “is this for you?” conditions is a good one, I think.

5336

Thanks from me too - it really is.

5337

I’m enjoying an action-RPG called Mage Gauntlet. It has the best control scheme I’ve seen in a game like this, and the combat and art remind me of ClaDun.

5338

This one got off to a great start but soon became extremely boring. There is a lot of empty space, including many hidden areas that hold little more than a haste powerup that lets you return from the hidden area faster. Here’s hoping it becomes more enjoyable soon, as it has a neat magic system and stellar production values. There are just so many nice little touches that I can’t believe they spoiled it with all the pointless running around.

5339

After playing Whale Trail and Rope Rescue I can vouch for both. The former is an interesting take on the Tiny Birds shtick, while the latter is a gorgeous puzzle game where you must string rope through and around cogs to release a bird trapped in a cage, getting a better score for using the least amount of rope.

I also picked up Bike Baron, which is a bit like Trials HD or Joe Danger, and the jury is still out on that one. It has potential but I haven’t gotten to any interesting tracks yet.

All of these are a buck at the moment.

5340

Jesus I’m addicted to Drop7.