There are games that are fun. There are games that look great. And then there are games that do both. Strata is one such game that has been lauded for both its design and gameplay when it first released on the Mac and recently it arrived on mobile as well. Let’s take a closer look at it.

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Although Gameloft is known more for its Asphalt series of arcade racing games, there is also the lesser known GT Racing, which was more geared towards those who prefer simulation racing.

Several years after the launch of the original game, Gameloft has now released a sequel called GT Racing 2. The latest installment ups the ante in terms of cars, tracks, visuals and pretty much everything else and just like the original is free to play. It’s clear that this time Gameloft has EA’s Real Racing 3 in its sights. Let’s see how GT Racing 2 performs. Read more »

Last year’s Rayman Jungle Run was an absolute riot. It has pretty much everything you could ask for: Terrific gameplay, great visuals, superb music and simple controls.

Naturally with such a big hit on its hands, Ubisoft decided to follow it up with a sequel. The new Rayman Fiesta Run brings essentially the same gameplay in dozens of brand new levels with updated visuals and characters. Let’s see how it fares compared to its predecessor. Read more »

Mobile devices have infiltrated the gaming segment in a big way to the point where they are now the primary gaming platform for a lot of people, even if they don’t realize it yet. We now have games from all genres available on the mobile platform. But while several of them try to emulate console gaming experience on the small screen, some are designed from the ground up for the touchscreen.

I have said repeatedly in the past that it is this category of games that interests me the most. The joy of playing a game designed with the attributes of the touchscreen in mind and actually takes advantage of it rather than being crippled by it is quite something. Device 6 for iOS is one such game, and today we are going to take a close look at it. Read more »

Last year’s Dead Trigger was quite a decent game. The gameplay was fun for most parts and the graphics looked amazing for that time, or even by today’s standards, for that matter. However, the experience was sullied due to overzealous in-app purchase options that a lot of people took offense to, especially since the game was paid. Eventually the game went free, so then there were fewer reasons to complain.

This year’s Dead Trigger 2 tries to take things up a notch by improving upon every aspect of it’s predecessor. As an added precaution, it is free from the start. With such a low price tag, it’s going to be tough to hold much against it but let’s see how it is anyway. Read more »

One of the most fun category of games on the mobile platform is endless runners. While these may be deemed too simple on consoles or on the PC, their minimal control system makes them ideal for the touchscreen-based devices, not to mention they have proven to be enormously addictive and great for quick playthroughs when you have some time to spare.

Some great examples would be the many variations of Temple Run, Canabalt, Jetpack Joyride and several other games inspired from these. Today we will be looking at one called Headless that literally takes the saying ‘running around like a headless chicken’ and makes an endless running game out of it. Let’s see if it’s more than just a clever concept. Read more »

The Cave is a new puzzle game by the creator of the critically acclaimed Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island games. The game was first released on consoles and PC and was later ported over to iOS with optimizations for the touchscreen.

The Cave features seven different characters, each with a unique ability and you play with three at any time and solve puzzles using their individual skills, often used simultaneously. The premise is fun and the game is great on the console/PC. Let’s see how well that has translated over to the mobile platform. Read more »

We all like to see console-quality games on the mobile platform. But while these games look great in demos, they often don’t play very well on a touchscreen due to the lack of physical controls. I have personally been more fond of simple, casual games on mobile that manage to be fun without being too heavy on graphics and employ a simple control scheme that takes advantage of a touchscreen rather than be crippled by it.

Cat on a Diet on a diet is a new casual title from Chillingo, the people who brought us games like Cut the Rope in the past. This one is along similar lines, but features a new character and gameplay elements that are different enough to warrant a new game. Let’s take a closer look and see how this one fares. Read more »

The original Angry Birds Star Wars hit the app stores last year in November and came as a breath of fresh air. Although an Angry Birds game at heart, the game featured brand new birds modeled after Star Wars characters and had their own unique new powers that made the game more exciting than what you’d expect from an Angry Birds game.

Now, Rovio is back with a sequel, with the aptly named Angry Birds Star Wars II that is based on the prequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, and once again features several new characters and environments in dozens of new levels. But after four years and several similar games, is flinging birds at pigs still going to be entertaining? Let’s find out. Read more »

You may know 2K Games from excellent desktop and console series such as Bioshock, Borderlands and Mafia. Their sports division, 2K Sports, has now released a new title for iOS, called 2K Drive.

2K Drive is a racing game but not quite in the same league as your Asphalt or Need for Speed. It’s more along the lines of Real Racing, wherein it is a simulation racing game that tries to be more realistic with believable physics and other characteristics. We took it for a spin to see how it performs. Read more »

Asphalt 8: Airborne is the latest in the long running series of mobile racing games from Gameloft. The previous game in the series — Asphalt 7: Heat — was a phenomenal game and one of the best racing games available on mobile today.

Airborne lets you take to the air, jumping off ramps and performing stunts mid-air with your car. Add to that a new range of cars and tracks, improved graphics and some new gameplay modes and you have all the ingredients for a great sequel. But does all that necessarily make it a great game? Let’s find out. Read more »

The original Plants vs. Zombies was an enormous success. Initially released on Windows and Mac back in 2009, the game was later ported to iOS next year and several other platforms over the years, including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Android, Windows Phone and even BlackBerry 10. It is one of the most popular tower defense games and also one of the most popular mobile games of all time.

The sequel to this smash hit comes four years after the original. However, the late release is not the only thing the ‘It’s about time’ tagline is referring to. The game travels through various time periods and lets you play in different locations. The new game also features some brand new plants, zombies, gameplay mechanics and game modes. So what are we waiting for? Let’s take a closer look at it. Read more »

Pivvot is a brand new game for iOS from developer Whitaker Trebella. The game focuses on minimal interaction with dead simple controls and delivers the complications through some seriously challenging gameplay. Add to that minimal visuals and a funky soundtrack and we may have a recipe for success. Let’s see how the game is in practice.

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rymdkapsel is a strategy game with a tower defense element. The game was originally released on the PlayStation Vita but has now been ported over to iOS and Android.

In rymdkapsel, you build your own world around you. You even create the material required to build your world yourself. All of this is accomplished using the minions at your disposal, which can also be created. And when you are under attack, the game switches over to tower defense mode. Sounds interesting? Let’s find out more. Read more »

Riptide GP2 is the successor to last year’s Riptide GP. For those who don’t know, Riptide GP was a racing game but unlike most other games in this genre, this one let you race around a track filled with water on personal watercrafts, doing all sorts of crazy stunts.

The new one takes it several steps ahead with new tracks, new crafts, new stunts, updated visuals and much more. Let’s see how much of an improvement it is over its predecessor. Read more »