The Android Play Store is still pretty hard to traverse and find new games. KYMI picks the 5 best racing games in the store
It seems that the inherent need for speed in humans ensures that
racing games are loved by everyone, irrespective of age. As the Android
Play Store is expanding, it gets slightly difficult to separate out the
noise from the best products. We have done the difficult part of the
job. Here are 5 Android racing games that we loved the most:
1. Asphalt 7: Heat
- Asphalt 7 provides an immersive experience in the streets of some
world-famous cities. The arcade street racing game has great visuals,
good replay value and is challenging enough to keep you coming back. You
have to slam cars, drift with finesse and fill your nitro meter to be
the best in the world. Available for Rs. 55.
2. Real Racing 3
- If you are a purist who cringes at the absurd physics and handling of
arcade racing games, look no further. This realistic racing game has
beautiful visuals, an impressive portfolio of licensed cars and an
extremely challenging gameplay. The game follows the Free to Play.
3. Need For Speed : Most Wanted
- When talking about racing games, can NFS be left far behind? The
Android version of the popular street racing game has a lot of variation
in the game modes it offers and will satisfy all your adrenaline needs.
Most expensive of the lot at Rs. 270.
4. Riptide GP 2
- Breaking away from the car racing category, Riptide GP 2 will put you
in the driver’s seat of a jet ski. The game handles physics
beautifully, with the water and your vehicle working in perfect, natural
tandem. The game has a bit of a steep price tag at Rs. 170.
5. Carmageddon:
Anyone growing up in the 90’s would testify to the sheer pleasure that
Carmageddon was. Ported from the PC, Carmageddon was amongst the first
games that allowed you to go unchecked in a city, wrecking havoc and
creating mayhem. If you have a taste for games in this genre (and you
got yourself a copy of GTA V), then don’t give this game a miss. Priced
at Rs. 107.
The
amazingly popular iOS game moved to Android a while ago, earning over
two million downloads during its first weekend of availability.
The
Android version is free, unlike the Apple release, with maker Rovio
opting to stick a few adverts on it rather than charge an upfront fee.
The result is a massive and very challenging physics puzzler that's
incredibly polished and professional. For free. It defies all the laws
of modern retail. Angry Birds for Android was first available to download from app store GetJar but is now available through Google Play.
2. Bebbled
Bebbled
is your standard gem-shuffling thing, only presented in a professional
style you wouldn't be surprised to see running on something featuring a
Nintendo badge with an asking price of £19.99.
You only drop gems
on other gems to nuke larger groups of the same colour, but with
ever-tightening demands for score combos and scenes that require you to
rotate your phone to flip the play field on its head, Bebbled soon morphs into an incredibly complex challenge.
3. Red Stone
There's an awful lot of square-shuffling games on Android and Red Stone
is one of the best. And one of the hardest. You start off with a big
fat 'King' square that's four times of the normal 'pawn' squares, then
set about shuffling things so the fat King can get through to an exit at
the top of the screen.
It's hard to accurately describe a puzzle game in the written word, but seriously, it's a good game.
4. Newton
Released in beta form, Newton
is a maths/physics challenge that has you lining up shots at a target -
but having to contend with the laws of nature, in the form of pushers,
pullers, benders (no laughing), mirrors and traps, all deflecting your
shot from its target.
The developer is still adding levels to it at the moment, so one day Newton might be finished and might cost money. But for now it's free and a great indie creation.
5. Angry Birds Star Wars
The
Angry physics phenomenon took a turn for the weird late in 2012, with
Rovio acquiring the rights to blend Star Wars characters with its
popular Angry Birds play mechanics. Angry Birds Star Wars
is actually pretty nice, with players using Star Wars weaponry to smash
down scenery alongside the usual destructive physics action. Not the
car crash IP clash we were expecting.
6. Drop
Some might call Drop
a game, others might classify it as a tech demo that illustrates the
accuracy of the Android platform's accelerometer, thanks to how playing
it simply involves tilting your phone while making a little bouncy ball
falls between gaps in the platforms. Either way it'll amuse you for a
while and inform you of the accuracy of your accelerometer - a win-win
situation.
7. Frozen Bubble
Another key theme of the independent Android gaming scene is (ports of) clones of popular titles. Like Frozen Bubble,
which is based around the ancient and many-times-copied concept of
firing gems up a screen to make little groups of similarly coloured
clusters. That's what you do. You've probably done it a million times
before, so if it's your thing get this downloaded.
8. Replica Island
Replica Island
is an extremely polished platform game that pulls off the shock result
of being very playable on an Android trackball. The heavy momentum of
the character means you're only switching direction with the ball or
d-pad, letting you whizz about the levels with ease. Then there's
jumping, bottom-bouncing, collecting and all the other usual platform
formalities.
9. Gem Miner
In Gem Miner
you are a sort of mole character that likes to dig things out of the
ground. But that's not important. The game itself has you micro-managing
the raw materials you find, upgrading your digging powers and buying
bigger and better tools and maps. Looks great, plays well on Android's
limited button array. Go on, suck the very life out of the planet.
10. ConnecToo
Another coloured-square-based puzzle game, only ConnecToo
has you joining them up. Link red to red, then blue to blue - then see
if you've left a pathway through to link yellow to yellow. You probably
haven't, so delete it all and try again.
A brilliantly simple concept. ConnecToo used to be a paid-for game, but was recently switched to an ad-supported model - meaning it now costs you £0.00.
11. Titres
Once you're successfully rewired your brain's 25 years of playing Tetris in a certain way with certain buttons and got used to tapping the screen to rotate your blocks, it's... Tetris.
It hinges on how much you enjoy placing things with your phone's trackball or pad. If you're good at it, it's a superb Tetris clone. Let's hope it doesn't get sued out of existence. UPDATE: While Titres seems to have been removed from Google Play, there's now an official Tetris app available to download.
12. Trap!
Not
the best-looking game you'll ever play, with its shabby brown
backgrounds and rudimentary text making it look like something you'd
find running on a PC in the year 1985. But Trap! is good.
You
draw lines to box in moving spheres, gaining points for cordoning off
chunks of the screen. That sounds rubbish, so please invest two minutes
of your time having a go on it so you don't think we're talking
nonsense.
13. Jewels
Coloured
gems again, and this time your job is to switch pairs to make larger
groups which then disappear. That might also sound quite familiar. The
good thing about Jewels
is its size and presentation, managing to look professional while
packing in more levels than should really be given away for free.
14. OpenSudoku
We had to put one Sudoku game in here, so we'll go with OpenSudoku - which lives up to its open tag thanks to letting users install packs of new puzzles generated by Sudoku makers. It's entirely possible you could use this to play new Sudoku puzzles for the rest of your life, if that's not too terrifying a thought.
15. Abduction!
Abduction! is a sweet little platform jumping game, presented in a similarly quirky and hand-drawn style as the super-fashionable Doodle Jump.
You can't argue with cute cows and penguins with parachutes, or a game
that's easy to play with one hand thanks to its super accessible
accelerometer controls.
16. The Great Land Grab
A cross between a map tool and Foursquare, The Great Land Grab
sorts your local area into small rectangular packets of land - which
you take ownership of by travelling through them in real-time and buying
them up.
Then someone else nicks them off you the next day, a bit like real-world Risk.
A great idea, as long as you don't mind nuking your battery by leaving
your phone sitting there on the train with its GPS radio on.
17. Brain Genius Deluxe
Our
basic legal training tells us it's better to use the word "homage" than
to label something a "rip-off", so we'll recommend this as a simple
"homage" to the famed Nintendo Brain Training franchise.
Clearly Brain Genius Deluxe
is not going to be as slick, but there's enough content in here to keep
you "brain training" (yes, it even uses that phrase) until your battery
dies. The presentation's painfully slow, but then again that might be
the game teaching you patience.
18. Coloroid
Coloroid is aery, very simple and has the look of the aftermath of an explosion in a Tetris
factory, but it works. All you do is expand coloured areas, trying to
fill them in with colours in as few moves as possible - like using
Photoshop's fill tool at a competitive level.
19. Cestos
Cestos
is sort of a futuristic recreation of curling, where players chuck
marbles at each other to try and smash everyone else's balls/gems down
the drain and out of the zone. The best part is this all happens online
against real humans, so as long as there's a few other bored people out
there at the same time you'll have a real, devious, cheating, quitting
person to play against. Great.
20. Air Control
One
of the other common themes on the Android gaming scene is clones of
games based around pretending to be an air traffic controller, where you
guide planes to landing strips with a swish of your finger. There are
loads of them, all pretty much the same thing - we've chosen Air Control as it's an ad-supported release, so is technically free. sa
Best free Android games 21 - 40
Updated The best free games on Android for phone and tablet
GalaxIR
is a futuristic strategy game with an abstract look, where players
micro-manage an attacking alien fleet. Pick a planet, pick an attack
point, then hope your troops have the balls to carry it off. There's not
much structure to the game as yet, but that's what you get when you're
on the bleeding-edge of free, independent Android gaming development.
22. Graviturn
Graviturn
is an accelerometer based maze game, where the aim is to roll a red
ball out of a maze by tilting your phone around. Seems embarrassingly
easy at first, until increasing numbers of green balls appear on screen.
If any green balls roll off the screen you die and have to try again.
It's abstract. It's good.
23. Alchemy Classic
There are a few variants on Alchemy out there, each offering a similarly weird experience. In Alchemy Classic
you match up elements to create their (vaguely) scientific offspring,
so dumping water onto earth makes a swamp, and so on. It's a brain
teaser thing and best played by those who enjoy spending many hours in
the company of the process of elimination.
24. ActionPotato
In ActionPotato
you control three pots. Pressing on the pots makes them jump up into
the air, where they harvest potatoes. See how many you can get in a row.
That's the gist of it. And don't collect the rotten potatoes, else you
die. That really is it. The Google Play stats say this is on well over
1,000,000 downloads, so it's doing something right.
25. Scrambled Net
Scrambled Net
is based around the age-old concept of lining up pipes and tubes, but
has been jazzed up with images of computer terminals, high score
tracking and animations. Still looks like something you'd have played on
a Nokia during the last decade, but it's free - and looking rubbish
hardly stopped Snake from taking off, did it?
26. Dropwords
Dropwords
is laid out like your standard Android block-based puzzle game, the
difference here is we're not dealing with gems - you make blocks
disappear by spelling out words from the jumbled heap of letters.
There's not an enormous amount of point to it, but you can at least
submit your scores and best words to the server, where an AI version of
Susie Dent will pass her approval.
27. Barrr
What you do in Barrr
is man-manage a bar world, pointing men at the beers, games or tattoo
parlour, then taking their money off them once they're drunk and happy
like a good capitalist. And make sure they go to the toilet. Things, as
things do in games, soon start speeding up and it gets rather insane and
difficult.
28. Tetronimo
The name gives it away - this is a Tetris clone. Or rather it's a game that uses the same sort of block-shifting rules as Tetris,
only with a very nice and user friendly touchscreen area beneath the
block pit to make it easy to play. We're having trouble locating this on
Google Play at time of writing - either a glitch or the inevitable
legal troubles. UPDATE: Tetronimo seems to have been removed from Google Play, but there's now an official Tetris app available to download.
29. Wordfeud
Wordfeud is a superb little clone of Scrabble,
with a big, clear screen and online play options that actually work.
The game's been offered for free with some hefty advertising over it
thanks to the developer being based in Norway - which only received
paid-for app sales support recently. A paid version may arrive soon, but
Wordfeud remains free right now.
30. Friction Mobile
Friction Mobile
is a very odd concept that makes no sense in still images. You fire a
ball into the screen, then try to hit that ball with other balls until
it explodes. The catch is you're not allowed to bounce balls backwards
into your own face. Because then you die. Sounds rubbish, but works
well. It's free, so give it a no-obligation, no-commitment whirl.
31. Geared
Geared
is a weird little thing finally converted over to Android from iPhone.
It's an embarrassingly simple concept - players slot different sized
cogs into place on the screen, with the aim being to power one gear from
another. Then, as is video game tradition, it gets harder and harder.
Plus there are 150 levels of it all.
32. Meganoid
A stunning little retro game, Meganoid
plays and looks like something that ought to be running on a Nintendo
emulator. But it isn't. It's new and on Android. It's a speed-based
challenge, using on-screen or accelerometer controls to jump and bounce
through ever-hardening levels. Developer Orange Pixel is aggressively
supporting it, too, with constant map packs, characters and more
regularly appearing for download.
33. Cordy
A standard and traditional platform game. Cordy
is a speed-based affair, with players running, jumping and collecting
their way through its pretty green levels, using an electrical cable to
jump, swing over obstacles and grab energy. Uses on-screen buttons so
can be a bit tough to play, but comes with 12 free levels to get you
going.
34. Angry Birds Rio
Yet more Angry Birds for fans of the simplistic trial and error physics game. Angry Birds Rio
is another chapter-based effort as well, with developer Rovio leaving
tempting empty slots on the menu screen for periodic updates of new
levels. More of the same, but with a prettier, 3D look to it this time
thanks to a vague association with animated movie Rio.
35. Grave Defense Holidays
As with Angry Birds,
the maker of this superb tower defence game has spun out a separate
version it fills with seasonal levels. Recently updated with an Easter
map, this free version of the game also includes Valentine, Christmas
and St Patrick's Day themed maps. Currently calls itself Grave Defense Easter. Easily one of the best examples of the tactical genre.
36. Words with Friends Free
The popular iPhone Scrabble-alike is now on Android, with an ad-supported version up on Google Play for free. Words with Friends Free
should actually be called Words for People Without Any Friends, as once
installed it lets users play with complete strangers online - or pick
specific people from your contacts list. It's turn-based, so several
ongoing games can be strung out for days.
37. PewPew
Very similar in style and concept to Xbox and Xbox 360 retro classic Geometry Wars. In fact, one might legally be able to get away with calling it a right old rip-off. Android PewPew
is a rock-hard 2D shooting game packed with alternate game modes. It's a
bit rough around the edges and requires a powerful phone to run
smoothly, but when it does it's a fantastic thing.
38. Angry Birds Friends
It's Angry Birds business as usual; only with Angry Birds Friends
you get a social-themed makeover that adds challenges, Facebook
integration galore and scoreboard tools to make the simple physics game
more of a multiplayer experience.
The good thing is the way you
can access the same account and see your progress on mobile and through
Facebook on desktop, the bad is the looming presence of in-app
purchases, with "bird coins" required to be earned or bought to progress
quicker.
39. Beats, Advanced Rhythm Game
A standard rhythm action, button pressing music game for Android. Beats
manages to outdo the official music games by including a Download Song
tab, where it's possible to install new song files created by users.
It's very hard and very fast. Just like they should be. Runs perfectly
on an HTC Desire, too, so there's no blaming glitches for not doing very
well.
Best free Android games 41 - 60
Updated The best free games on Android for phone and tablet
Pinball Deluxe
is an actually decent pinball sim for Android, and it's free. At the
moment it comes with four tables - Wild West, Carnival, Space Frontier
and Diving for Treasure. Ball movement is convincing, and although a bit
of the magic is lost thanks to having to use on-screen buttons, it's a
smooth enough experience. It's ad-supported. Don't press those. You
don't get a bonus.
41. Winter Walk
Winter Walk
is madness. You play the part of a gentleman, out for an evening walk.
From time to time the wind picks up, so you have to hold on to his hat
to stop it blowing away.
While this is happening, the chap's
internal monologue appears on screen, giving you an entertaining and
distracting read in the process, too. Very simple, but a perfect little
high score challenge game for the touchscreen era.
42. Colosseum Heroes
Publisher Gamevil takes a break from churning out the role-playing games to give dumb action a go here. Colosseum Heroes
is a 2D slasher, where you simply try to survive for as long as
possible, building up your armour and weaponry to make yourself tougher
and meaner.
Technically this is a "freemium" game paid for with
in-app purchases, but if you're prepared to spend a while building up
your character's skills manually, there's no need to pay out.
43. Stardash Free
Developer Orange Pixel has a knack of creating excellent retro titles, with Stardash a fine example.
Designed to look like a Game Boy game from before many of you younger readers were born, Stardash is clearly a bit of a Mario
homage - but it's done exceptionally well and is endlessly replayable.
If you like it, and you probably will, there's an alternate paid version
that removes the adverts.
44. Scramble With Friends Free
Zynga's latest puzzler Scramble With Friends Free
is technically a free game, but in order to get the most out of it and
play as it's meant to be played you'll need to use the in-app purchasing
system to buy "tokens" to let you access games quicker. Which leaves a
slightly bad T-A-S-T-E in the M-O-U-T-H, but at least it's free and
perfectly playable at a slow pace if you're just curious.
45. Dead on Arrival
Dead on Arrival
is a very impressive looking 3D survival horror game, which dumps you
in a hospital infested with zombies. You then try to not get eaten by
buying new weapons, boarding up doors to keep the brain-eaters at bay
and using wall-mounted weaponry to quicken the zombie mincing process.
As with many of today's Android titles, there's the option to pay for
stuff within the game to unlock features and remove ads - but you don't
have to.
46. Stick Cricket
Stick Cricket
is a fantastically simple little game that reduces cricket to its core
values - you just smash every ball as hard as you can. There's no
worrying about field positioning, just a bat and a ball coming at you
very quickly. Initially it seems impossible to do anything other than
make a complete mess of things and having your little man smashed
upside-down, but it soon clicks.
47. Draw Something Free
Draw Something Free
is the new phenomenon that's taking the world by storm (at the time of
writing, at least). It's basically a mobile version of Pictionary, where
you're given a choice of three words of varying difficulty, then tasked
with drawing them so someone can tell what it is. Syncs with Facebook,
too, for easy cross-platform play. If you like the free trial, there's a
paid accompaniment with more content.
48. Fragger
The popular web-based Flash game Fragger is now on Android. It's pretty much a clone of Angry Birds,
mind, offering simple physics-based challenges based around chucking
grenades all over the place to make stuff blow up. It comes with some
rather intrusive ads, but that's the price you (don't) pay for sticking
with the free version.
49. The Sims FreePlay
Global mega-corporation EA has gone literally mad, giving away its Android version of The Sims for nothing in the form of The Sims FreePlay.
In return for sitting through some full-screen adverts every now and
again, players get a decent mobile version of The Sims, complete with
pets, plants, lifestyle points and all the usual mundane activities that
make the series popular. It's not perfect, but does fit in most Sims
core features.
50. Super Bit Dash
About as far away from The Sims as you can get. Super Bit Dash
is a retro-style 2D platform game, with controls as simple as its pixel
art design. The game runs at a constant pace, so all the player has to
do is jump and super-special-jump at the right time in order to avoid
smashing into the scenery. Obviously it's a lot harder than that makes
it sound.
51. Chrono&Cash Free
Chrono&Cash Free
is very hard and sweet little one-screen platform game, where players
jump about collecting bags of cash while avoiding enemies. And that's
all there is to it, aside from some mini challenges to boost your score
multiplier and online sharing of your scores to goad friends into trying
to beat you. Looks cool, is a tiny download and a great laugh to play.
52. Autumn Walk
A weird little gem, Autumn Walk
sees players controlling a man and his dog as they stroll through a
Victorian park landscape. The challenge here is dog management, with the
hound either running ahead or hanging back - both precarious scenarios
that could cause the lead to snap. It's basically a high score
challenge, to see how long you can stand the weird experience. Worth it
for the awesome comic dialogue that accompanies your stroll.
53. Meganoid 2
Meganoid 2
is an insanely difficult 2D scrolling platform game, once again
presented in developer Orange Pixel's awesome pixel art style. The
levels are rather short, with the challenge here being to simply play
them again and again and again so you can get through them without
death. Might drive you mad. Might be your favourite game of the year.
Close call.
54. Pitfall
Developer
Activision has updated one of its oldest and most fondly remembered
classics, turning the ancient platform game into a posh, 3D infinite
running thing. Pitfall
uses swipe and tilt controls like the famous Temple Run, including
power-ups, vehicles and changing camera angles to add a bit of variety
to the look and feel of it all.
55. Bad Piggies
A shock move from developer Rovio, in that this one isn't a simple take on the Angry Birds style. Bad Piggies
is a clever building game, which dumps you at the beginning of a big
map with a pile of component parts. You then build a flying machine
using the given elements, then try to fly it to the end of the level. A
really nice, original little idea from the physics game specialists.
56. Pocket Planes
Pocket Planes
puts you in charge of an airline. You potter about the world looking
for paying jobs, whether that's passenger or freight routes, then send
off your planes to do the little delivery tasks. As things progress the
complexity increases, until you're eventually flying customised jumbos
with hundreds of passengers around major international cities.
It
works in real time in the background, so you can minimise it and do
other things while all your birds are finding their way home, then pop
back in when the game notifies you that something's arrived and needs
attention.
57. Neon Blitz
Neon Blitz
is a kind of a posh tracing game, where you use your finger to draw
over the shapes on the screen. You're rated on accuracy, with scores
compared against the world on its global leader board. There are
power-ups and stuff like that, but it's all about having a jazzy, bright
experience, that works perfectly on a touchscreen.
58. Agent Dash
Agent Dash
is another take on the infinite runner genre that's come to dominate
the smartphone gaming landscape, only with a comedy spy angle. As well
as swiping to dodge objects, Agent Dash incorporates weaponry and spy
gadgets, making it more of an interactive and action-based experience
than most of its "Step Right" peers.
59. Whale Trail Frenzy
Whale Trail Frenzy
is an updated version of the iOS original, with the developer heaping
in more levels for the Android release of its bonkers flying game. You
just fly a little whale around the sky (for reasons never explained),
collecting things, avoiding bad clouds, building up a multiplier and
generally being wowed by its unique and gorgeous style. A really sweet
experience.
60. Radiant Defense
Radiant Defense
is a fantastic tower defence game, given a dazzling modern look. You do
all the usual tower defence stuff like building up your weapon
strengths and deciding how best to stop the endless marching enemy, with
some "super weapons" to unlock and hundreds upon hundreds of waves to
beat. And it all looks astonishingly pretty on a big screened device. In
this age of austerity and scrimping, we've all long since sold our last
set of dominoes and melted down our Monopoly counters for scrap.
61. Temple Run 2
The original Temple Run made staring at a man's bottom on public transport a wholly acceptable pastime, and this sequel
augments the endless-running fun with slicker graphics, more power-ups,
obstacles and achievements – plus a bigger monkey hot on your heels.
62. CSR Racing
The best cars require in-app purchases, but there's plenty of free fun to be had with this fast and furious racer.
Console-quality graphics show off the mean machines (from Audi, BMW,
Bentley and others), and gameplay blends strategy as well as speed.
63. Mini Golf MatchUp
Putting (putt-ing, geddit?) the crazy into crazy golf, the five courses in Mini Golf MatchUp
take in dinosaurs, sharks and pirates across 70 holes, with realistic
physics to temper the unreal environments. Facebook integration is par
for the course, while in-game chat keeps things swinging.
64. SongPop Free
A bit like Never Mind The Buzzcocks' intro round, SongPop Free
is the handy alternative to carrying Phill Jupitus and someone you've
never heard of in your pocket. Guess song clips from loads of genres,
then challenge your friends to do better.
65. Dead Trigger
That zombie shooter Dead Trigger
is set in the dystopian future of 2012 is testament to its lasting
appeal. Frantic first-person missions set in realistic 3D environments
are sure to get your heart racing (unless you're a zombie), even on
smaller screens.
66. Cut the Rope Full Free
Cute critter Om-Nom in Cut the Rope
is the Daniel Day-Lewis of puzzle games, with a BAFTA amid his haul of
gaming awards. The simple premise (cut the ropes to release Om-Nom's
lunch) sustains 350 well-pitched levels, packed with character and
cartoonish charm.
67. Lexulous
Scrabble by another name (its second, after "Scrabulous" proved a tad too copyright-infringing), Lexulous
has all the social gaming options you'd expect, but beats its many
rivals with its antisocial options: three AI opponents ranging from the
simple to the sesquipedalian.
68. Pac-Man + Tournaments
Fed up of 3D, HD, 360-degree action? This authentic recreation of a arcade classic Pac-Man
is the kind of good, clean pill-munching fun they enjoyed in the 1970s.
A tournament mode offers regularly updated mazes, but the retro
original is hard to beat.
69. Scrabble
Yes, the proper Scrabble,
not some copyright-infringing clone that'll be pulled by the time you
read these words. EA bought the license, tidied it up and stuck it out
on Android, where it's a remarkably advert and in-app purchase free
experience.
It's been beefed up with a few new modes, but stuff
like the ability to sync with Facebook and play multiple matches is
actually exactly what you need. A classic that's not been ruined.
Hooray.
70. Blip Blup
Blip Blup
is the kind of original little idea we love stumbling across. It's a
sort of geometry-based puzzle game that has you pressing squares on the
screen to fill in areas of colour.
Your light beams are limited
in the directions they can travel, so, once you're through the
troublingly simple tutorial levels, it soon becomes insanely tough and
will soon have you scratching through your skull's skin and bone until
you actually itch your BRAIN in confusion.
71. Doodle Jump
Doodle Jump
is ancient, but there's a reason it's down here at the newer end of the
Triple-A Android freebies list. It's recently been reworked, updated
for today's higher resolution displays and, better still, been stuck up
on Google Play for free. If you haven't played it, or played it four
years ago on iOS, give it another spin. It's a timeless bit of upwards
bouncing action.
72. Super Stickman Golf 2
Super Stickman Golf 2
is one of the recent big-hitters of Android, with the superb 2D puzzle
golf game doing insane business. It's free, albeit propped up by in-app
purchases, with heaps upon piles of golf courses to whack yourself
around, challenging your knowledge of physics and angles as much as your
sporting abilities.
Looks great and even manages to head online to offer turn-based multiplayer against friends or randoms.
73. Real Racing 3
Extremely
controversial thanks to its use of in-app purchases to buy your way to
better cars, quicker play time and much more, there's one reason you
really ought to give Real Racing 3 a go - it's the best looking 3D racer on Android by a mile.
If
you want something that gives both, all four, or even the full eight of
your phone's cores a full workout, this is the one. And you don't have
to pay for anything, as long as you don't mind staring at timers and
waiting a lot.
74. Gunslugs
Another awesome little 2D pixel art classic from developer OrangePixel, Gunslugs is your standard sort of action platformer given a gorgeous old fashioned retro look.
It's
been optimised for play on Sony's old-but-popular Xperia Play buttoned
Android model, plus the Moga controller and Green Throttle systems will
also let you experience it with proper, physical buttons. A random level
generator makes it different every time, too.
75. Nun Attack: Run & Gun
Frima Studios' popular battling nun series has been transformed into the modern trend that is the "runner" game in Nun Attack: Run & Gun
where your favourite of the four available nuns smash though levels,
equip weaponry and, inevitably, earn the gold coins that can be used to
unlock extra features. Or you can pay real money to buy coins. Real nuns
wouldn't approve of that.
76. Guardian Cross
Famed
developer Square Enix has created this highly regarded fantasy card
battle RPG, with, so it claims, some input from developers involved in
building the legendary Final Fantasy series. But it's not like those
games. Guardian Cross
is all about collecting a powerful deck of card characters, which are
then used to battle both in-game fights and real human friends online.
There's a bit of mindless grinding and waiting if you want to avoid
in-app purchases, but none are compulsory purchases.
77. Flatout: Stuntman
Supposedly a spin-off from the home console racing titles, Flatout: Stuntman
takes one of the more shocking elements from the driving games – the
crash dummy physics of drivers thrown from their cars – and turns it
into a whole game.
The idea is you have a crash, trying to ensure
as much damage is caused to your little ragdoll character. Possibly the
sort of tasteless thing that might trigger a 'Ban All Games' campaign,
but... fun. And free. So your wallet won't get hurt.
78. Pocket League Story 2
Mobile developer Kairosoft went down the "freemium" route with this sequel to its superb man-managing football business sim, so Pocket League Story 2
is playable for free if you don't mind suffering a little more than
those who pay for upgrades. It's still a great little game, in which you
take charge of managing the ground, scouting for players, coaching
matches, building facilities and much more.
79. GYRO
GYRO
is exactly the sort of thing we like - a clever new idea that makes the
most out of today's touchable devices. It's a bit abstract. You are the
circle thing in the middle, and you rotate yourself to absorb the
incoming spheres, matching the balls with the right coloured segment.
Shields
and score multipliers then fire in, and, inevitably, it all gets
quicker and harder. Perfect even on older phones and tablets of modest
performance.
80. Galaxy on Fire 2 HD
Galaxy on Fire 2 HD
is one of the most visually impressive 3D shooters to be found on
Android, Galaxy on Fire 2 also chucks in some trading and exploration
play to add a little more depth to the combat, making it into something
similar to having your own little portable Eve Online. You also get to play as a lead character called Keith, which is quite an exciting rarity.