Mobile

Have you ever wanted to manage a company of interstellar mercenaries? Sure, who hasn't? Have you ever wanted to distill the act of managing that company of interstellar mercenaries down to a card game, complete with blind booster packs and rare cards? That...might be a harder sell. However, Rivals at War: 2084 does just that, and manages to be quite fun and engaging for a game that you don't actually play.

Upon releasing Mikey Shorts in 2012, BeaverTap Games suddenly found themselves at the forefront of handheld platforming, perfecting the speed run formula with impeccably-designed levels and controls in their debut iOS tit It was hands down one of the best iOS releases of the year - and as I often do these days with games and movies, I prayed the inevitable sequel didn't ruin my fond memories.

When Riptide GP arrived on iOS in late 2011, it brought with it a flood of beautiful memories from the early days of 3D and polygons. It was like a mix of Jet Moto and Hydro Thunder, a balls-to-the-wall aquatic racer with impressive wave physics and a fantastic sense of speed. It wasn't perfect - a little too lean on content, missing any kind of online/Bluetooth-enabled multiplayer option - but it brought back a genre I'd thought long forgotten by game developers, if only for a moment.

Bet you never thought a mobile game could have you grinning, cursing at your phone and trying to get inside the mind of a player on the other side of the world. Turtlestrike requires more thought and cunning than the average mobile title, but the excitement and satisfaction it brings towers above the average match-3 or endless-runner.

Eternal Descent: Heavy Metal Heroes is yet another in a long line of endless runner games that have come to iOS. It's s bit of a stale genre at this point, but everyone is trying to liven it up and find the magic formula to keep gamers coming back for one more go. Eternal Descent tries to hook people in with a screaming heavy metal soundtrack and a number of real metal musicians. Is that enough to hook people who feel the endless runner style is getting a little long in the tooth?

One of the most well-received games of 2010, Limbo was one of the signature XBLA releases that established it as a legitimate digital platform. Quiet and haunting, Limbo's puzzles and ethereal setting challenged gamers to find their own way, devoid of traditional storytelling devices and control tutorials. The game's experience was about dark wonder and discovery: and this week, Playdead's first title found its way onto the iPad.

Every spoiled little rich kid has wanted to grab a slingshot and destroy his house while shooting at all the members of his family, right? Okay, so I guess I have no idea. The creators of Naughty Boy decided that this seemed like a decent premise for an iOS game, and they went for it. It's completely ridiculous, but who doesn't want to destroy a mansion armed with only a slingshot?

Contra Evolution Introduction Remakes are a finicky endeavor; nostalgic gamers might enjoy updated graphics and sound with their favorite old titles, but messing with classic gameplay elements is a big no-no. For others, remakes are an opportunity to make an old game better, taking the framework and name of the original and dressing it up with modern game mechanics. Contra: Evolution – which finally released in the App Store this week after debuting in China a few months earlier –…

Garfield has eaten too much - as always - and has decided that he needs to take a nap - as always. He's not likely to get an easy sleep, however, because as soon as his head hits the pillow, he's transported to a mysterious dream world where he can fly by flapping his arms, collect flying lasagne, dodge UFOs and pay exuberant prices for costumes that don't actually matter. Welcome to Garfield's Wild Ride.

It would be hard to argue that Magic: the Gathering was not the most popular CCG on the planet. It's been going strong for 20 years now because of the excellent tactical gameplay. While many card games end up being pay-to-win affairs, Magic is balanced in such a way that a good player will nearly always beat a player who has simply spent more money on good cards.