Over a decade ago, gaming on the go used to be a difficult thing to do. You had to own a Nintendo Gameboy and not mind about being caught in public with a game like Mario in your hands. These days, mobile gaming is easier than ever thanks to the invention of the iPhone, and the choice available at your fingertips is bigger than it has ever been before.
If you've too little time to play anything in depth, there's simple games like Angry Birds. But if you're on a long trip and don't mind expending some of your iPhone's battery, there's dozens of in-depth titles that could almost rival the likes of any console game.
Given the choices available, we've decided to compile only the latest and greatest games available for the iPhone 4s, iPhone 4, iPhone 3Gs and iPod Touch. Our choices are subjective, of course, but that shouldn't stop you from checking them out.
Tiger Style's relatively new on the scene. Having made their mark with Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manner, Tiger Style once again returns to the iOS with a new side-scrolling adventure game called Waking Mars that has its roots deep in hard sci-fi. You take on the role of Liang Qi, a Chinese astronaut who must investigate the existence of subterranean life on Mars with the help of some high tech equipment.
In order to proceed through the depths of the red planet, Liang Qi must awaken the dormant biomass. He must study the lifeforms and use his knowledge to rebuild Mars' ecosystem.
Price: $4.99
Download: iTunes
DoDonPachi is an entry in a long line of bullet hell shooters by Cave. The game may seem like an assault on the senses at first glance but once you get used to the pixels flying across the screen, you might even be able to dodge them with some finesse.
DoDonPachi brings a genre typically relegated to the PC over to the iPhone and it even comes with an online scoreboard allowing players to post their rankings and achievements online. Earning a high score takes more than dodging bullets—you'll have to create chains of kills as you play.
The game is a good entry point into bullet hell shooters, and there's tons more to be had on the PC if you're ever so inclined to play them.
Price: $4.99
Download: iTunes
Developed by a group of former Ensemble Studios devs, Hero Academy brings strategy to the touchscreen by offering asynchronous, turn-based battles not unlike Heroes of Might and Magic. It kind of makes you wonder why Ubisoft didn't come up with it first, but we're not complaining.
The premise is simple: you deploy a small group of units on titles across a battlefield and use them against your enemy's forces. You also have the ability to cast spells to improve your units' chances. The goal is to destroy your opponent's gemstone, and protect your own from destruction.
Thanks to the game's turn-based battle system, you can do other things while waiting for your opponent to perform their actions instead of watching them decide what to do.
Price: Free
Download: iTunes
Super Crate Box takes the sidescrolling shooter genre and compresses it into a single screen in which a non stop horde of monsters pours forth from the top of the screen. The player—an action hero of sorts—must collect a bunch of crates (hence the game's name) while avoiding, or killing the monsters.
Each crate you collect adds an additional point to your score and equips you with a new gun.
The game is designed in entirely pixel-art form, giving it a retro, if novel look and feel despite its touch controls on the iPad and iPhone.
Price: $1.99
Download: iTunes
Angry Birds Space is the first true sequel to Angry Birds (Rio doesn't count) and it's one that takes the whole concept of launching birds from a slingshot to hit a bunch of pigs and blow up their houses to a whole new level. Whew, what a mouthful!
The newly released Angry Birds Space takes the concept to a new level by adding new gameplay mechanics like gravity and orbit. Each of the game's stages is no longer flat, and is instead made up of several different planets, each of which has its own gravitational field that affects the trajectory of the angry birds after launch.
The game, like the previous Angry Birds, comes with 60 levels and is expected to see some free expansions in the months to come.
Price: $0.99
Download: iTunes
8+ Great Gift Ideas for PlayStation 4 Owners
Dark Souls 2 Weapons and Shields Guide - Axes and Greataxes
How to Instantly Switch Any Keyboard's Layout Wherever You Go
7 Games for the 7th Generation: The Seven Most Influential Games of This Generation
Bladestorm: Nightmare Wiki – Everything you need to know about the game .