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Don’t miss these this Christmas

Feature by Ben Briggs, December 24, 2009

If you’re opening up a brand new iPhone or iPod touch this Christmas and you’re looking for new content to fill it look no further. Each game in this list has been hand selected from our review archive this year and every one is a quality product. Note that isn’t a top ten list and the games here are in no particular order, and it is only a small picture of what iPhone has for you in store. Nevertheless we think these are unmissable.

Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor

Even before it was updated, Tiger Style’s debut effort is a real eye opener. It has a narrative that is implied through the various rooms of Bryce Manor, which you must traverse in their entirety if you want to discover all of the secrets. It also makes the case for a touchscreen gaming device only the more stronger as you effortlessly flick and tap your way through. Gorgeous and inventive, this is a perfect gift to any gamer this Christmas.

Circuit_Strike.One

Most high score based games get boring after a while because they rely too much on the numbers and not the experience. Circuit_Strike.One is an amazing experience top to bottom, with a tilt controlled title screen and controls that are silky smooth even if they take practice to fully master. Ripping through the multitude of networks with the pounding soundtrack and visual noise everywhere is such a thrilling adventure that it is incredibly hard to put down. We’re disappointed that there isn’t many gems like this one and so cherish every minute spent with it.

Meteor Blitz

Meteor Blitz is a more traditional dual stick shooter that is another example of perfect controls meets perfect gameplay. It’s bursting at the seams with particle effects and frantic, fast paced gameplay. With its intelligent auto pause feature and save anywhere mechanics plus the seamless integration with what’s playing from your music library, you’ll come to love this fantastic arcade blast.

Labyrinth 2

The original Labyrinth was an iPhone launch title that had it all—a concept formed from real wooden marble mazes that happened to work extremely well with an accelerometer, a huge amount of levels and fun, challenging gameplay. Labyrinth 2 is in many ways a perfect sequel that makes its predecessor look dusty and ruined. More realistic textures and effects and new obstacles really do make this look far superior, and you’ll love the new obstacles that make for endless possibilities with the level editor. It is the definitive accelerometer based game.

Squareball

Fusing the retro look with a modern device takes guts. Squareball has got guts aplenty with a control scheme so fluid it feels just like flicking through an album list via Cover Flow. This momentum based system is paired with a breakout meets platformer and it is very fun, varied and extremely tough. Squareball is simply one of the best games that you’ll play on your device and we highly recommend that you purchase it.

Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid

A more accessible platform game, Rolando 2 outdid Rolando in much the same way as Labyrinth 2. Adding in a much more vibrant storyline with humourous quips speckled in lots of different places, new obstacles and gameplay elements, this title also boasts a new 2.5D look that makes the game feel a lot deeper. It remains to be seen whether or not the third in the series will go fully 3D, but we think you should definitely pick this one up.

Ravensword: The Fallen King

We put a lot of time into this game and it delivered. Ravensword has a very accessible quality to it, and whilst it may not be the iPhone RPG that true genre devotees were hoping for, in here you have a game that you can pick up and play for a minute or ten and it will remember exactly where you left off for next time. With a great storyline that includes some well known Internet memes and a huge open world to explore in this is one to get.

Canabalt

Last but not least, Canabalt is a must have one button game that has caused quite a stir in the iPhone gaming scene. It is a premium game at a premium price point and is a rich, fluid and supreme arcade title that is devilishly simple—with one button gameplay—but also very addictive. The whole package is meant to be experienced, so turn up the volume and download this epic title.

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