Best Android games - Sports Games

Crazy Snowboard (Free)

It may not be SSX, Shawn White, or 1080 Snowboarding, but Crazy Snowboardhas the underpinnings of a solid snowboarding game. To play, you turn your Android on its side and use it like a steering wheel. An upward tug on the right will turn you left and a motion up on the left will turn you right. The basic controls feel fairly natural. To jump, you tap (or hold) your finger in a marked circle on the lower right of the screen. Once you figure that out and get some air, tap on the left circle to perform some different tricks and combos.

Crazy Snowboard is not a deep game, but it’s far more complex and well executed than you might expect for a free mobile game. The music is bad, but there are enough missions, maps, and bonuses to keep you interested for a while.

Baseball SuperStars 2011 ($0.99)

Baseball Superstars has been around for years, but without an MLB branding, it has never really taken off. Still, it remains the best mobile baseball game we’ve played and the 2011 version is no different. You choose between odd teams like the Dragons, Dolphins, or Lions (whose mascot may as well be named Simba) and there are an endless number of options to choose from. Gamevil’s attention to detail and simple, engaging gameplay make this one of the only solid traditional sports games on Android. However, those on lower-end devices may want to avoid the 2011 version. It ran a bit choppy on a Motorola Droid.

Moto X Mayhem ($1.00)

Remember Excitebike? Moto X Mayhem takes the idea of excite bike to the next level with rag doll physics, crazy terrain, and solid graphics. The controls make it work. Tapping and holding the screen forward accelerates and you can tilt your bike up or down by tilting the actual phone. Like a good Nintendo game, control is just loose enough to have fun with, but tight enough that you can assert command when you need it.

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Best Android games - Brain & Puzzle

Jewellust ($2.95)

It may be a Bejeweled clone, but it’s the best one on Android. Jewellust is addictive, no way around it. Simply tap colored jewels to line them up in a row. When three or more are in a line, they vanish and more jewels fall. Those looking for a great match-three puzzler, or a simple game almost anyone will enjoy, this one is for you.

Alchemy (Free)

Alchemy is not the only game of its kind on the Android Market, nor the flashiest, but there’s something to be said for a game that’s free and gets to the point. Here’s how it works: you start out with four elements (water, earth, air, fire). Drag them onto each other to make new things, like dust and stone and lava. From there, you just keep mixing your new creations together until you discover all of the 270 increasingly complex elements, substances, objects, and creatures. There are no levels in Alchemy, just the desire to discover new things. Give it a try.

 

Slice It! (Free)

Have you heard of Fruit Ninja? It’s a popular iPhone/Android game where you slice fruit by swiping the screen with your finger. It’s highly addictive. Slice Ituses the same basic idea, but adds a new dimension. Instead of an action slicing game, Com2uS challenges you to take your time and cut a shape into the proper number of shapes using slices. The result is a bit slower, but a helluva lot of fun. With more than 140 levels and support for multiple languages, this is one of the most polished and complete games on Android. Take your time and have a blast.

(Similar games: Fruit Ninja)

Traffic Jam ($1.64)

We have a soft spot for free-the-block games. Traffic Jam is the most polished block puzzler we’ve found. Your goal is to get the yellow car out the exit door, but to do it you have to clear the path by meticulously moving different cars around. Honestly, we’re not sure who parked these cars, but they must have grown up in Chicago because they are almost immovable.

There are plenty of levels to beat and the less moves you use, the better your score. Don’t like cars? There are a few other themes too, including ice blocks, boats, and classic wooden blocks.

(Similar games: Unblock Me)

Wordfeud ($3.11)

WordFeud is a multiplayer version of Scrabble, and it’s a good one. The in-game dictionary is solid and the graphics are good enough. WordFeud caught our eye because of its multiplayer. You can challenge friends in your contacts list or play a random stranger. You’re quickly matched with an opponent. Some games go quickly, while others can stretch across a day due to the notification system built into the game. If you have Google Sync enabled, you’ll receive a notification whenever your opponent finally spells his next word (the more tense Scrabble games get, the longer turns take). The system works well and lets you get on with your life in-between moves. There are some other Scrabble-like Android games, but WordFeud is the best we’ve played so far.

(Similar games: Words with Friends)

Solitaire (Free)

There are plenty of poker, blackjack and solitaire games floating around the Android Market, but there’s a reason why millions of people play Solitaire on their PC: it’s simple. Ken Magic’s version of solitaire is almost identical to the PC. You can choose to deal one card or three and make a few other small adjustments, but other than that it is what it is. It ain’t pretty, but it is simple and fun. For a more in-depth, varied experience, we recommend the Solitaire Mega Pack or 250+ Solitaire Collection.

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Best Android games - Arcade & Action

Turn your smartphone into a handheld console with the best games for Android. We weeded through the thousands of titles to bring you the cream of the crop.

For a long time, the Android Market was a gaming ghetto, full of ripoffs and incomplete games. It paled in comparison to Apple’s thriving iPhone game selection. Mostly, this is still the case, but in recent months a number of developers have begun bringing their works to Google’s smartphone platform. Things are beginning to change for gamers on Android. As such, we’ve listed out more than 15 of our favorite games currently available on the platform. Some are free and some cost a couple bucks, but all provide a good time.

We tested most of these titles on a Motorola Droid, so they should work well on higher-end Android handsets.

There are thousands of Android games. If you think we missed a particularly awesome one, comment and tell us about it!

Arcade & Action

Battleheart ($2.99)

This is the first RPG we’ve recommended, but it’s really only half an RPG. While most RPGs have you roam around an overworld and talk to NPCs between battles, Battleheart gets right down to the action. You go from battle to battle, leveling up, purchasing upgrades, and changing your team as you go. It sounds less fun than a traditional RPG, but Mika is on to something. With a real-time touch battle system that is simple enough for anyone to learn, Battleheart manages to keep battles fresh and interesting. It doesn’t skimp either. The game has casters, healers, tanks, and most basic classes you’d expect from a game of its kind. There are a healthy number of upgrades and weaponry available and the fun, flashy art style definitely helps as well.

Angry Birds & Angry Birds Rio (Free)

We wish we could make a list of mobile games that didn’t start with Angry Birds, but with more than 140 million downloads on iPhone and Android, it remains the hottest game to play on mobile. There’s a reason for it’s popularity too: It’s a dead simple physics game with a great theme. Featuring a lot more depth than players initially give it credit for, Birds continually surprises throughout its 225 levels. Rovio is also one of the most active publishers on Android, consistently releasing new content for players. Now, if we could only figure out why birds need a catapult to fly…

Angry Birds Rio is similar, but has you freeing caged birds instead, which changes up the gameplay objectives enough to keep things fresh. It also looks great on larger units. Rovio took a lot of time to polish the graphics and doll things up for its first movie tie-in.

(Similar games: Blow Up, Spaghetti and Marshmallows, X Construction, Farm Tower)

Toki Tori ($2.99)

Toki Tori is a puzzler in the vein of Mario vs Donkey Kong with a little Blinx: The Timesweeper mixed in for good measure. Haven’t played either of those games? Well, that’s okay. Here’s what you need to know: you’re a hatched chicken and you need to save your trapped friends. In your way are a host of mean creatures and dangerous obstacles! Fortunately, you’re no ordinary chicken…guy. You’re a chicken…guy with telepathic powers and guns.

Toki Tori looks and controls much better than most current Android games, likely because of its iOS origins. You can blame its price on the iPhone too. However, if you have three bucks to spend, you’ll find few games as thought out and put together as Toki Tori.

(Similar games: Abduction, Abduction 2, Abduction: World Attack, Doodle Jump)

Armored Strike Online ($1.99)

If you’ve ever played Scorch or Worms before, you’ll quickly grasp the general idea of Armored Strike Online. You get a tank and face up to four human or computer opponents. You each take turns firing a single shot, and whoever survives the longest is the winner. The trick is that it’s tough to actually hit somebody. You must lob your shots across the battlefield like a mortar, choosing your power and angle while accounting for wind and the distance of your opponents. Requiem Software Labs accomplishes almost nothing that hasn’t been done before (and better), but Armored Strike is a solid entry in its genre and a great way to burn a few minutes. With more than 30 weapons to choose from, there are plenty of ways to annihilate the competition.

Cut the Rope ($1.02)

Cut the Rope is, hands down, the best puzzle game we’ve played since Angry Birds. It will never reach the heights of popularity that Rovio has, but it’s certainly just as fun. Following the winning formula of combining universally cute graphics with an addictive puzzle element, Cut the Rope has you attempting to collect stars as you feed the hungry baby monster “Om Nom” some candy. You do this by selectively cutting ropes with a swipe of your finger. The concept isn’t the winner here, it’s the level design. Even as Cut the Rope’s near endless number of levels get more difficult, the game always makes it incredibly easy to retry and never puts a time limit on you. This makes the game a somewhat stress-free experience, even compared to Birds and other games that give you unlimited lives. Because of its no pressure approach, we found ourselves striving for higher scores as much as we were trying to beat the levels. Give this one a buy. You won’t be disappointed.

NinJump (Free)

NinJump comes to us from the iPhone App Store and is a new entry in a genre that was pioneered on mobile phones. Entirely based on timing, the game only needs a single button. You play as a ninja  who must fight off killer squirrels, throwing stars, and exploding bombs.

Here’s how it works: You can’t fly, but you can run straight up buildings. Your goal is to get to the top of a high rise apartment complex. Unfortunately, this is the most dangerous apartment complex we’ve ever seen. Like the classic mobile games NOM and Super Sketcher, your character is always running. By tapping the screen you hop from one building to the other (left to right). You must avoid running or crashing into obstacles and your only weapon is your sword as you jump from side to side. Points are awarded if you destroy things in mid-air.

Like many current Android games, NinJump is not a wholly original concept, but it is well-executed and free. It’s a good way to kill five minutes. Check it out.

(Similar game: City Jump)

Fruit Ninja ($1.24)

Fruit Ninja has been out a while, but we never leave it alone for too long. The game is simple: fruit flies into the air and you must slice it before it falls. You do this by swiping across it with your finger. If it sounds too simple or boring, don’t knock it till you try it. Fruit Ninja has become a staple on almost every casual games platform, from the iPhone to the Xbox Live Arcade. It’s a high score game like Tetris, where you play until the game gets so difficult that you die. And it’s a good one.

(Similar games: Slice It!)

Radiant HD ($2.46)

Radiant is custom made for those of us who remember the classic arcade days fondly. It’s a top-down space shooter with neon bright colors and a decidedly pixelated design. You control a space ship and tap left or right to move around. And that’s all there is too it. Your galactic enemies look like Space Invaders,Pac-Man ghosts, Asteroids, and sometimes even Metroids. Kill them before they kill you to rack up the points and progress. It’s classic gameplay lathered up in a vibrant coat of paint. We can’t wait to see what else Hexage cooks up.

(Similar games: Hex Defense)

Tank Hero (Free)

Ever play the tank game in Nintendo’s Wii Play collection? It’s pretty addictive, and so is Tank Hero. Your goal is to destroy the other tanks. It’s simple and fun. Some tanks are faster, some shoot missiles, some drop mines, and some are just plain crafty. The controls take a minute to get used to, but work very well. Using your left thumb, you steer the tank like a D-Pad. To fire, you simply tap on the screen in the general direction you’d like to fire in. The graphics are gorgeous, especially for a free Android game and it plays without a hitch on older devices as well (we played on a Motorola Droid).

(Similar games: BattleTanks)

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