Get your thumbs and fingertips warmed up, folks, because it’s Game Friday once again! It’s never nice to end the week on a dull note, so as always we’re here to help you out with our recommendations for the coolest new titles to hit the App Store.
Jump in and have a look at this week’s lineup …
MinoMonsters
After getting its start as a Facebook game, MinoMonsters has finally made the transition to the iPhone in an extraordinarily polished and entirely revised version that brings the familiar monster training and battling to your smartphone.
As you explore the still-fledgling world in MinoMonsters, you’ll encounter adorable and charismatic Mino species that you can train and battle against your friends. Rich animations and an extraordinarily polished visual style add to the charm and personality of each of the monsters, and there’s an emphasis on treating them well by feeding them candy, outfitting them with collars, etc. The happier you keep them, the stronger they get!
Besides being a nice way to teach kids to take care of their pets, MinoMonsters offers a solid amount of straight-forward and easy to pick up gameplay that should appeal to gamers of all ages — including you nostalgic Pokémon folks out there!
Price: $0.99
Developer: MinoMonsters, Inc.
Download: App Store
Batman Arkham City Lockdown
Tying in to its big brother on the consoles, Arkham City Lockdown lands on the iPhone sporting an Infinity Blade style one-on-one combat system featuring the characters we all know and love from Batman lore.
The setup is understandably straight-forward, but the execution is solid and entertaining, with combat feeling responsive and characters each having their own diverse skillsets. Upgrades and gadgets allow you to augment the Batman’s abilities, and as you progress through the difficult opponents you’ll find you might need all the help you can get.
While the game lacks some of the cinematic flair of the aforementioned Infinity Blade series, Batman Arkham City Lockdown offers a respectable and engaging Batman experience right in the palm of your hand.
Price: $5.99
Developer: Warner Bros.
Download: App Store
Bejeweled
In an interesting effort to consolidate and refresh its offerings, PopCap has recently released a new version of Bejeweled (and its separate free cousin Bejeweled Blitz) with impressive Retina graphics.
Bejeweled is a familiar face either way, and it remains a gaming phenomenon that’s almost unbelievably addictive. Matching gems and racking up the points has an almost infinite appeal, and the variety of game modes (many familiar to those who play the desktop version) ensure that there’s no shortage of activities to keep you busy in the game.
As you’d expect from a major publisher title, Bejeweled sports many interesting social enhancements, achievements, and — less fortunately — in-app purchases. The IAP are optional, of course, and either way do very little to detract from the appeal of this revival.
Grabatron
Do you ever have those days where you just feel like an evil alien? If so, then you may want to direct your attention to Grabatron, a stunning new game from Future Games of London where you terrorize humanity from the safety of your claw-wielding alien saucer.
It goes without saying that the game is incredibly fun — it channels the same kind of gleeful destruction energy that Super Mega Worm did — but what stands out is the way that the finely tuned gameplay is woven in with the smooth animations and contrasty art style. Everything feels remarkably fluid and organic, which only makes the frenzied action more immersive.
There’s a lot of content in Grabatron, so you’ll want to grab it and start exploring and destroying your way through!
Price: $0.99
Developer: Future Games of London
Download: App Store
Shine Runner
If developers at Vector Unit know one thing, it’s how to make a cool aquatic racing game. Their popular Riptide GP has attracted enormous acclaim with its stunning water physics and breakneck gameplay. Building off that success comes Shine Runner, a game that takes the same foundations and runs with them in an entirely new direction.
Gone are the sporty jet-skis; now you’re racing flat bottomed boats — bayou style! While admittedly an unusual setting, the game is immensely entertaining. Instead of racing, you’ll be carting contraband through the swamps at breakneck paces. The faster you transport them to their destination, the more you profit. The physics engine now has its hands full with the fully destructible environments; feel free to smash through obstacles and be ruthless in your smuggling deeds.
Shine Runner is a great example of taking something you’re good at and exploring a similar but compellingly fresh alternative direction. Now that there are touch controls available (for those who weren’t fans of the tilt controls in Riptide), there’s nothing stopping you from trying your hand at deep south smuggling.
Price: $0.99
Developer: Vector Unit
Download: App Store
What Have You Been Playing?
We hope you find something to play with up there, and look forward to your comments — especially if you think we missed something amazing. Drop us a line, have a terrific weekend, and see you next time!