Apple's iPad has been around only since April, but since its release I have drawn two conclusions:
- It is a great machine for playing games.
- Game developers have not come close to exploiting its potential.
Oh, there is plenty for sale in the iPad version of the App Store. But most of the games - I would say 90 percent, and even then I fear I am being too charitable - are derivative, one-dimensional bores. Most of the free ones are not even worth the space on your hard drive or the time it takes to download them.
The chaotic App Store does not do much to distinguish good software from bad, unless you count the wisdom-of-the-masses provided by its best-seller lists. And, unlike the iPhone App Store, the iPad version does not sort games into categories, so you are out of luck if you want to whittle down the list to say, sports or strategy games.
But there are some gems to be found. My favorites can be divided into three groups:
High-definition versions of iPhone hits:
One of 2009's finest games was Tiger Style's Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, a haunting adventure set in an abandoned mansion. My only complaint was that the iPhone's small screen cramped its gorgeous graphics, which really come to life in the new Spider: Bryce Manor HD. Even if you played Spider last year, the iPad version is worth a second purchase.
Indeed, the developers of some of the most popular iPhone apps have upgraded them into essential iPad games. You can start an impressive iPad library with Popcap's Plants vs. Zombies HD, Chillingo's Angry Birds HD, Gameprom's Pinball HD, Illusion Labs' Labyrinth 2 HD and Firemint's Flight Control HD.
One more recommendation, although it comes from computers rather than the iPhone: Hemisphere Games' Osmos HD, in which you play a blob that absorbs other blobs. It's utterly hypnotic.
Board games:
Even in this high-tech era, I still love to crack open an old-fashioned board game when friends are around. The iPad makes board games much more portable; thanks to Electronic Arts, I always have Scrabble and Boggle on hand.
My current addiction is Gameloft's beautiful adaptation of Blokus, Mattel's challenging yet accessible tile-laying strategy game. And Days of Wonder's Small World, a game of conquest set on a continent crowded with dwarves, orcs and other fantasy creatures, is a delight.
Much anticipated are the iPad versions of two beloved German board games: The Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne. The iPhone versions are first-rate, but I cannot wait to see what their developers can do with the iPad's extra space.
Point-and-click adventures:
The laid-back, story-driven adventures of the 1990s lost ground this century to more trigger-happy games, but they are making a comeback on the iPad. The best of the bunch is LucasArts' Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge, a hilarious pirate tale that has been lavishly upgraded from its 1991 release.
Other games in this genre include Wallace & Gromit in The Last Resort and Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone (both from Telltale Games), as well as Revolution's Broken Sword: Director's Cut. If you want iPad games that work your brain as much as your fingers, these are all good bets.
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