I just read Macenstein’s Top 20 iPhone Games of 2008. It’s a good list, but in my opinion it leaves out a handful of “instant classics.” Here’s a list of my personal favorite games for the iPhone and why I like them.
- Virtual Villagers: A New Home (Big Fish Games, 2008)
It’s quaint, it’s simple and it’s cute. v.Village puts you in control of a simple village on an itty bitty island. Your villagers gather food, maintain huts, fall in love, have babies and – sadly – die. Through it all you can pick them up by their little heads and make them angry. It’s a good time: Simple to get into and very entertaining.
- Diner Dash (PlayFirst, Inc., 2008)
An excellent translation of the Diner Dash franchise to iPhone. Tap customers to seat them, serve them, tap-drag to rearrange the seating order, etc. Diner Dash presents an intuitive interface on top of a very polished backdrop of bright and colorful graphics to complement the sublimely uncomplicated game play.
- Texas Hold’em (Apple Inc., 2008)
Aside from some odd-ball betting habits by the virtual players, this excellent Texas Hold’em game let’s you play in first-person mode (portrait) or table-top mode (landscape) and features exceptional artwork and entertaining player animation. I haven’t had the opportunity to play multiplayer, but it does contain a multiplayer option that utilizes finger-tap gestures to convey emotions, essential for the all important bluff.
- Trism (Demiforce, 2008)
I admit it: I’m addicted to Trism. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, and yes, it lives up to the hype. It’s challenging yet entirely entertaining. Please, do yourself a favor and give it a try, you surely won’t be disappointed. The graphics are bright but the sounds are underwhelming – really, my only complaint. Five stars! Will play again!
