|
 Do you ever wish that waiting for the train was more exciting? Do you find yourself wanting to take more intellectually stimulating shits? Then you've come to right place. This is the iOS Games Megathread about gaming on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Got an Android device?  iOS is the fastest-growing, most exciting platform for games anywhere. There is a vast amount of absolute rubbish on the App Store, but there are also outstanding innovative games if you know where to look.   I just got an iOS device, what games should I get? The App Store has been running since July 2008, which means that there's a hell of a lot of great games on there already in every conceivable genre. FTL: Faster Than Light: This is an iPad-only roguelike spaceship sim that you might have played on PC. It's been ported to iPad with a super-nice touch interface and it's loving awesome. Plague Inc.: A pandemic simulation where you evolve your own virus/bacteria/zombie plague to destroy all of mankind. Perfect for neck-bearded misanthropes like you. The Room and The Room 2: A puzzle game where you manipulate 3D objects to escape from the titular rooms. Way better than it sounds, won shitloads of awards and probably makes better use of the touchscreen than 99% of touchscreen games. Game Dev Story: The game studio tycoon simulator that made Kairosoft famous in the West. They've been cranking out lovely semi-sequels to this game for years but the original is still fun, and if you've never played a Kairosoft game then you're in for a treat. Out There: Arty French game where you float around in space feeling lonely and cannibalising your ship for parts to find a way home. Sounds kind of like FTL, but it ain't. Beautiful graphics & music and hard as hell. Battle of the Bulge: A World War II war game with online multiplayer and probably the best interface/visual design that a war game has ever had. Single-player as well. Mikey Shorts: Instant classic 2D platformer with great controls and a huge amount of levels. Tiny Tower, Pocket Planes, Pocket Trains, Disco Zoo: Games (OR ARE THEY) where you push a button, wait a while, and push a button again. Really nice for wasting ten minutes or an hour. Or two hours. Or ten. gently caress. Goon-made. King of Dragon Pass: Choose-your-own-adventure meets Civilization. Lead your clan of Bronze Age settlers into Dragon Pass and unite the warring clans there into a tribe. Don't trust those loving duck-men. Infinity Blade series: Long-running fantasy action games with pretty good touch controls, lots of customization, and maybe the nicest graphics on iOS. Puzzle & Dragons: Free-to-play Skinner box that combines Bejeweled, slot machines, and weeaboo. Has it's own thread, go talk about this poo poo there. Wayward Souls: 2D Zelda-style action adventure game with procedurally generated levels, tight controls, hats. Goon-made. 80 Days: Recently released to great acclaim in this thread. A choose-your-own-adventure gamebook loosely patterned on Jules Verne's novel. Travel around the world on airships and mechanical elephants seducing men, women, and animals and solve mysteries, possibly earning the admiration of your taciturn boss. Ascension: Looks like the game kids at your junior high got beat up for playing (because it is) but it's actually an easy-to-pick-up "deck-building" game with a robust multiplayer community. Carcassonne: Excellent adaptation of the popular Euro board game of the same name. Threes!: Frequently ripped-off but never duplicated puzzler. It's about math-sex and numbers that talk to each other when you make them do it. Battleheart: Legacy: Fantasy hack and slash game that people seem to like but I never played so here it is I guess? Hoplite: Tactical puzzle game with randomized levels and high score leaderboards that is way better than it looks and may cause you to throw your phone out the window of a moving car. See what I mean about there being a lot of great games? Read the thread for more recommendations, or just ask us. God knows the last thread had some pleb asking for recommendations on pretty much every page.   Essential Sites for Reading About Games (because you don't do that enough already) AppShopper: Completely indispensable guide for tracking updates and price drops. TouchArcade: The oldest, most frequently updated iOS games site with broad coverage of almost anything iOS games-related from hardware and peripherals to the games themselves. Arguably well-deserved reputation for giving good reviews to just about everything. Pocket Gamer: This British  games site covers everything handheld including PS Vita and stuff like that but their iOS games coverage is robust and their reviews are great.Gamezebo: Another site that covers more than just iOS games, but it's mostly iOS. Recently redesigned and is probably the sexiest mobile games site around right now. Pocket Tactics: Don't be fooled by the name, it covers more than just tactical games. Smart reviews, light-hearted tone, but only updates a few times a day. The OP's personal favorite.  SA's own iOS Boardgames Thread: A whole thread specifically for board games like Pandemic and Carcassonne that have made their way to iOS.   Frequently Asked Questions What's iOS Universal mean? That means that the game (theoretically) runs equally well on iPads and iPhones. Some games are iPad-only and won't run on an iPhone at all, but iPhone-only games can be run on an iPad pretty much fine. The vast majority of games these days are universal, so you'll usually only run into this with older stuff. I've read that this new game is in "soft-launch". WTF is that? Devs will sometimes release a game in one or two countries' App Stores for testing purposes, usually Canada and/or New Zealand. Typically a global launch will follow a few weeks later. If you're absolutely desperate to play a game that's in soft-launch and you're in the wrong country, there's a step-by-step guide for fooling iTunes into thinking you're a Kiwi/Canuck right here on Pocket Gamer. Mandatory Assembly fucked around with this message at 00:38 on Aug 20, 2014 |
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 01:53 |
|
|
 Recent releases goons are talking about in this thread Holy poo poo it's Goat Simulator App Store Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvWGLcdI8o8 Phantom Rift App Store Link TouchArcade review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8omKg6qW7ho Tiny Tower Vegas App Store Link Dedicated thread coming (?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04b9pmNUqGU Motorsport Manager App Store Link Pocket Tactics review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrVZ3spwFk4  September 2014: Upcoming games to be stoked about Galaxy Trucker Pocket Tactics article  The Sailor's Dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ht8jVEvoRc Mandatory Assembly fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Sep 17, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:43
|
|
|
Reserved just in case...
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:43
|
|
|
Okay, so that's the new OP. What else does it need? Any obvious questions for the FAQ? How about more cool upcoming games, because that section is pretty sad with just Motorsport Manager in it. Good call. vvvvvvvvv Mandatory Assembly fucked around with this message at 00:15 on Aug 20, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:44
|
|
|
Add a link to the iOS boardgame thread and the best games on iOS; Carcassonne, Hearthstone, and Ascension. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3548351
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:49
|
|
|
UncleSmoothie posted:Okay, so that's the new OP. What else does it need? Any more games (within reason or this could go on forever) for the recommended list? Any obvious questions for the FAQ? How about more cool upcoming games, because that section is pretty sad with just Motorsport Manager in it. Mention Simogo, goddamn you.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:52
|
|
|
UncleSmoothie posted:How about more cool upcoming games, because that section is pretty sad with just Motorsport Manager in it. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:52
|
|
|
Oh poo poo, how could I forget about Tiny Tower Vegas? And Simogo, yeah that was a big oversight.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2014 23:54
|
|
|
Just in time for this thread, I was notified by Apple that our big Bungle! v1.2 Music & Science content update is live! Click that link to see the changes but we've added eight new jobs, a new jobs tracker menu, and fixed a few small bugs. If you like fun games and want to help support goon devs (ie: me) please check it out! Yodzilla fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Aug 20, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 00:00
|
|
|
Would throw out a shout for Battleheart: Legacy, Hoplite, Threes!, and Duet.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 00:03
|
|
|
Okay, that's a shitload of recommendations now. I'm gonna leave that list as is and people can read the thread for more. I'll keep the upcoming games post current every week or so.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 00:14
|
|
|
The Ace Attorney Dual Destinies port for iOS is awesome. Everything looks great and the UI is extremely well thought out, I would say it's a straight up better experience than playing it on 3DS.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 00:20
|
|
|
Adventure Time Ski Safari is probably worth a dollar of fun. I played it on a off for 3-4 days and deleted it. Easy, simple and not a lot of depth. But you can't ask for much for $1.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 00:26
|
|
|
All your links go to the British iTunes!  Seriously though, nice OP.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 00:30
|
|
|
Yeah this op is pretty good. Maybe add in that you can set your iOS to decline all iap, for parents or people scared of free games in general. And that if none of your game's sound works, then your device is probably on mute mode. Course you have to be pretty dumb to do that.it took me a month to figure out why that was happening 
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 00:39
|
|
|
Thanks for the new thread! looks great.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 01:47
|
|
|
Battleheart Legacy question is the ninja crit cool down passive the only one like that in the game?
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 03:01
|
|
|
Dvlos posted:Battleheart Legacy question is the ninja crit cool down passive the only one like that in the game? Yeah and its completely broken. It is the best passive and can make you literary impossible to kill. Wizard does have a 10% faster cooldown passive.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 03:06
|
|
|
Please allow me to mention GOTY 2013, 868-HACK, on the first page. It is a super brainy roguelike which is exquisitely condensed (but not simplified) for your phone.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 03:22
|
|
|
Yodzilla posted:Just in time for this thread, I was notified by Apple that our big Bungle! v1.2 Music & Science There should probably be an iPad specific section in the OP, since some games are iPad only:
Other than that, for deckbuilding games, Sol Forge is really good, doesn't require you to buy IAP, and is universal now.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 03:37
|
|
|
duckfarts posted:Link is broken, FYI. Yeah it would help if I added the .com 
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 03:38
|
|
|
For games in the OP, I'd suggest Brave Frontier up with Puzzle and Dragon: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3635116 Lot of similar mechanics but the combat is more a turn based with individual units rather than a combined single entity like your party for PAD. You might hate PAD and like BF, or vice versa, or end up playing them both 
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 03:49
|
|
|
duckfarts posted:Everyday Genius: SquareLogic: It's like sudoku except it's actually a ridiculously good logic puzzle game. Has a drat near endless amount of content. Thanks for listing this! I didn't even know there was an iPad version. It had been on my Steam wish list for the longest time but they removed the ability to purchase it a year or two ago. I only realized now that they put it back up on Steam a couple of months ago, but the iPad version is cheaper ($1) and is portable.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 04:15
|
|
|
ihatepants posted:Thanks for listing this! I didn't even know there was an iPad version. It had been on my Steam wish list for the longest time but they removed the ability to purchase it a year or two ago. I only realized now that they put it back up on Steam a couple of months ago, but the iPad version is cheaper ($1) and is portable.  about getting a ~perfect game~ and you'll be fine.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 05:15
|
|
|
Not enough love here for Cards & Castles. It's a combination of Hearthstone (kind of), Card Hunter, and Hero Academy. Try it out next time Hearthstone makes you want to throw your iPad into the ocean. Cards & Castles on iOS Cards & Castles Forums
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 05:47
|
|
|
Is this the thread to talk ports on iOS? Because the Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies port is loving awesome so far. The first case is free, it looks gorgeous, and the interface is really well designed. Which is amazing after how bad the initial attempts at porting the old PW games were
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 05:57
|
|
|
TheKingofSprings posted:Is this the thread to talk ports on iOS? Yeah it's mind boggling how much better the DD port is after the disappointment that was the HD Trilogy. I've only finished the first day of the free case and I'm already very impressed. e: grammar fix IncendiaC fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Aug 20, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 06:04
|
|
|
Clash of clans: Known as the game where its developers print money and rule the world. Real-time simcity simulator except you get to raid other villages, stomp bad reddit clans and post about it in our thread full of coc.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 06:17
|
|
|
It's probably a good idea to sort the games, like FTL, that are iPad only to the bottom under a header like iPad Only. Sounds like lots of work, though.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 13:57
|
|
|
IncendiaC posted:Yeah it's mind boggling how much better the DD port is after the disappointment that was the HD Trilogy. I've only finished the first day of the free case and I'm already very impressed.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 14:16
|
|
|
Craftics posted:Not enough love here for Cards & Castles. It's a combination of Hearthstone (kind of), Card Hunter, and Hero Academy. Try it out next time Hearthstone makes you want to throw your iPad into the ocean. I had glossed over this every time it was mentioned but..... Do my eyes deceive me or is this an actual game and not just a monetization strategy with some art wrapped around it? drat, gonna check it out
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 14:17
|
|
|
I think it's a little weird to leave off Hearthstone from the list. Yeah it's not iOS-only but it's quite possibly the most popular game on iPad right now and it's one of the few F2P games that actually feels like a full game you don't have to pay for. I'd also recommend adding in Frozen Synapse and XCOM because I think those are probably the two best PC ports to iPad that exist.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 14:24
|
|
|
+1 to the Dual Destinies love, I'm currently on case 3 and it is really pretty good, only bad thing is a bug with the UI that came up a few times during investigations when talking to people, so you need to save often but it's not too bad. I'd say that the HD trilogy wasn't bad either. The only issue on iOS, for me, is they've skipped a few of the games so there's characters like Apollo and Trucy that the game assumes you know already that appear in the games that come between the original trilogy and DD. I'd add The World Ends With You to the list, it's another port from the DS but I think the iOS version is the superior one.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 14:24
|
|
|
goferchan posted:I had glossed over this every time it was mentioned but..... Do my eyes deceive me or is this an actual game and not just a monetization strategy with some art wrapped around it? drat, gonna check it out It does IAP better than most iOS games I've played. Buy packs of cards. That's it. One purchase of any booster pack disables ads forever. Not sure why it isn't 100x more popular to be honest. It's super fun and addictive.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 14:33
|
|
|
That advanced Grand Prix Story game Motorsport Madness is on the NZ store and coming tonight apparently. Any thoughts?
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 14:35
|
|
|
Yeah, I should sort the recommendations into iPad and Universal games. I'll do that today or tomorrow. And I'll add some more of the games mentioned in the last few posts, but if you're sitting there wondering why on EARTH game X isn't in the OP it's because there's a zillion good games for iOS and I'm not trying to re-create AppShopper using BBcode.  The old OP was literally just a plain text list of titles with zero context, so come on. This is an obvious improvement, even if your favourite game isn't in the OP.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 14:38
|
|
|
Just want to come in here and recommend Football Chairman. In a nutshell, you start up a soccer team in the lowest competitive tier in English football. The only things you have control over are the things that require you to write a check. For example, you have final say on purchasing players, renewing contracts, expanding the stadium, ticket prices, etc., but the manager you hire actually trains and plays the squad without your input. Everything is done with your own money + money earned from operations. I've done a couple of playthroughs, and I think it really, really shows how tough a chairman's job is (if it helps, I love football and finance). You lose the game by 1) overdrafting your bank account by a set amount (you're told how much you have) and 2) not bringing your account under that amount within 12 weeks of going over. There is IAP, but it's essentially injecting money into your club. There are a couple of improvements it could really use, though. When you make a bid for a player, or offer a contract, there's no negotiation whatsoever. Either your offers are accepted or rejected, without the ability up your bid or make an improved offer. I also got some weird slowdowns while playing on an iPad 4, but it wasn't too bad. If you're still not sure if this game is for you, there's a free version to try, Football Chairman Lite. tl;dr Football Manager: Chairman Mode
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 15:41
|
|
|
Craftics posted:It does IAP better than most iOS games I've played. Buy packs of cards. That's it. One purchase of any booster pack disables ads forever. Not sure why it isn't 100x more popular to be honest. It's super fun and addictive. Is there any way to earn cards without paying, like Hearthstone?
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 16:27
|
|
|
One upcoming (no release date yet) game that I'm really excited to play is You Must Build A Boat, made by the creator of 10000000. It's a fast-paced 'Match 3' type game with RPG elements. Speaking of which, I also nominate 10000000 for the OP list of games you should definitely get.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 16:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 01:53 |
|
|
UncleSmoothie posted:Yeah, I should sort the recommendations into iPad and Universal games. I'll do that today or tomorrow. It might be cool to have a google sheet with popular thread games that people could maintain, but I feel like the iOS game press makes that kind of redundant. You did good recommending a couple of good review sites. I don't think you should be defensive about the OP, it's good! 
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2014 16:28
|
|