Top 10 Best Android Games of 2010

This past year, mobile phones running Android OS have exploded in popularity. The openness of the operating system is appealing for users and developers alike, however, there are not that many games available for Android compared to the iPhone, and recent research shows that only 17% of Android users browse for games, while nearly 65% of iPhone users search out games in the iTunes App Store.  

Part of this is owing to the fact that the porting from iOS to Android can be tricky for many games, and developers who have had success in the iOS market are hesitant to gamble on developing exclusively for Android. Nonetheless, Android's game prospects improved greatly over the course of 2010, and with a rumored porting of Words With Friends to Android OS,  Android phones could really take off in 2011. Here are some of the best titles from 2010, in no particular order. 

Zenonia 

For those who don't mind an RPG format on a portable device, Zenonia, an old-school adventure akin to Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, was ported over to Android OS just this summer. Though many folks prefer to save their RPGs for larger screens, there are also those who perhaps travel a lot, but don't want to be restricted to casual games like Bejeweled and Doodle Jump.  

      Zenonia features real-time combat, and decisions made throughout the game affect the storyline and the reception players are given by NPCs.With Zenonia's 40+ hours of gameplay, and generous helpings of side quests, this will keep players busy for even the worst roadtrips (provided it isn't your turn to drive). 

 

Everlands 

This eye-catching, beautifully designed puzzle-strategy hybrid involves a group of deceptively cute animals going a bit crazy and declaring war on each other. The game itself actually feels a bit like the old card game, "War", but rather than having the highest ranking card win each hand, the specific abilities of the animals are pitted against each other, and each type of animal is unique. Some are immune to certain attacks, for example, while some more easily overpower larger animals, but have trouble catching smaller ones. While the translation is a bit awkward in some parts, the game has an addictive quality that will make it a staple for any Android user looking for an engaging game. 

 

Sketch Online 

Remember all those uncomfortable family holidays when everyone was forced to play Pictionary and some weird cousin always drew a bunch of vaguely inappropriate but ambiguous forms while the rest of the family tried not to guess anything remotely resembling them? Well now you can relive that glory with total strangers with Sketch Online. Combining chat rooms with an MS paint clone, this game aims to take the awkwardness of Pictionary to a whole new level. This one is fairly self-explanatory, but no less appealing for it. 

 

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