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.
