The release of the iPad is finally upon us. Some of you were sitting at home, sipping your morning cup ‘o joe when your friendly FedEx man came by to drop off your iPad, while others sat outside of your local Apple Store on a milk crate for a week straight eating nothing but Doritos and Mountain Dew. Regardless of how you obtained your iPad, the important thing is that you have it.
I posted an article on Friday showcasing games that were readily available for purchase on the App Store. The list covered a lot of great games from equally great publishers, but it lacked something important: My own personal picks! That’s right, this here article is a way for me to share with you what games I’ve played and recommend to new iPad owners. So without further ado, let’s get down to business.
Mirror’s Edge for iPad ($12.99) – [iTunes Link]
If you’ve played Mirror’s Edge on the Xbox 360, PS3, or PC, you’ll know how enriching an experience the game can be as you navigate through the game world in a first person perspective. Mirror’s Edge for iPad’s perspective isn’t first person, instead you play on a 2D level as you navigate Faith from one side of the level to the other. Incorporating gameplay mechanics similar to Canabalt, as well as online leaderboards, and offline co-op on the same iPad, and you’ll see why this is a game that has definitely been on my radar for quite some time.
Command & Conquer Red Alert for iPad ($12.99) – [iTunes Link]
As great as Command & Conquer is for the iPhone, the game’s GUI was the only thing holding it back. Having all of those on-screen commands was necessary for an RTS, which is why Command & Conquer Red Alert seems like a no-brainer for the iPad. With all of the extra space, you can focus more on what’s going on in the game rather than all of the inputs on screen.
Geometry Wars: Touch for iPad ($9.99) – [iTunes Link]
If you’re a fan of twinstick shooters, Geometry Wars is the best of the best. The iPad version successfully recreates the experience we all know so well from its Xbox LIVE Arcade version. Geometry Wars: Touch for iPad for the most part is a port of the latest Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2. It offers multiple game types and online leaderboards to compare your score with other Geometry Wars: Touch for iPad players.
Plants vs. Zombies HD ($9.99) – [iTunes Link]
In case you couldn’t tell from my review, I absolutely love Plants vs. Zombies. Plants vs. Zombies HD for the most part is the same game, but with some slick graphics that takes full advantage of the iPad. The slowdown I mention in my iPhone 3G is no longer a factor as the iPad handles all of the Plants vs. Zombies goodness flawlessly!
We Rule for iPad (FREE) – [iTunes Link]
Here’s another title that you probably realized I enjoyed from my review. We Rule is the closest thing the iPhone currently has to Farmville. Since your kingdom is stored on ngmoco’s servers, this means that all of your work & friends are accessible from the iPad version. The iPad’s larger display means you get to see more of your kingdom, which makes micromanaging a lot easier to handle.
Fieldrunners for iPad ($7.99) – [iTunes Link]
I know, I know. You probably thought Plants vs. Zombies was going to be the only tower defense game on this list. Even though PvZ is a great game, I enjoy a good traditional tower defense game and Fieldrunners is by far the best! The iPad version has updated graphics and a larger view of the playing field.
Words with Friends HD ($4.99) – [iTunes Link]
Move over EA’s Scrabble, there’s a new king of crossword games and it’s Words with Friends. Words with Friends HD brings the same experience you know and love from the iPhone version, but the HD version improves the game by giving you a larger view of the board and the ability to chat with your opponent while you’re viewing the board.
Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone for iPad ($9.99) – [iTunes Link]
This game was a surprise for all of iPad gamers. TellTale Games has been working on adventure games for the PC, Xbox 360, and recently the Mac & PS3, but this is the first time one of their adventure games has made the jump to the iPhone platform (or should I say, iPad platform). Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone for iPad is the first episode in the upcoming The Devil’s Playground season. This season hasn’t even debuted on the PC yet, so if you want a sneak peek at what PC gamers have been waiting for, here’s your chance!
Call of Duty: World At War: Zombies for iPad ($14.99) – [iTunes Link]
Do you like shooting things? Do you like shooting zombies? Do you like shooting NAZI ZOMBIES?? Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies has been in the App Store’s Top 10 selling apps list ever since it was released. It just goes to show you that you can’t keep a good shooter down, especially when Nazi zombies are involved. The iPad version incorporates some enhanced graphics, reconfigured controls specific to the iPad version, and it includes both the ‘Night of the Undead’ map, and the ‘Zombie Asylum’ DLC map.
Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition for iPad ($9.99) – [iTunes Link]
My last recommendation has got to be SEGA’s Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition for iPad. Super Monkey Ball 2 was a huge improvement over the original Super Monkey Ball on the iPhone. SMB: Sakura Edition for iPad has new mini-games, a new multiplayer mini-game which allows up to 4 players to play on a single iPad, and updated graphics.
Flight Control HD ($4.99) – [iTunes Link]
I’ve actually never played Flight Control on the iPhone due to my complete laziness and procrastination, but I finally played the iPad version, Flight Control HD, and now I see what everyone was all worked up for. The game is simple: guide various planes to their color specific runway while making sure none of them crash into each other. Flight Control HD includes more space to guide your planes, more airports, and new co-op and versus modes that can be played on the same iPad.