With so many games in the Google Play Store, it’s sometimes hard to find a good game that you’d like to spend your time playing. Many games look good on paper, but once downloaded seriously lack in the fun department, and push ads or in-app purchases in your face. We’ve compiled a list of five awesome Android games that are currently available, some new and some not so new. Most of them aren’t free, but totally worth the price. While free games are nice, there is something to be said about paid games which eschew annoying in-app purchases and often are of higher quality.
So settle in, get comfy and make sure your device is charged or plugged because its gonna be a long night!
Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign
Price: Free, in-app purchases
Marvel has managed to combine two of the best things together in this free game, the expansive Marvel Universe and match three puzzle games. The title combines match-three puzzle gameplay with story telling, putting a fresh new face on the puzzle genre. All of your favirite Marvel characters make an appearance, including good guys like Iron Man and Wolverine and baddies such as Venom and Juggernaut.
The gameplay is as you would expect from match-three puzzle games, but with a twist. Instead of just racking up countless points like your typical puzzle game, points from matching three like-colored gems translates into an attack, which is then unleashed on your opponent. Players will collect different characters as they advance through the stages, and can upgrade their powers as well.
Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign is super fun and polished. Download the free game from the Google Play Store.
Final Fantasy VI
Price: $15.99
Square Enix has added Final Fantasy VI to its Android lineup, bringing the SNES classic back from 1994 with revamped graphics and gameplay. Final Fantasy VI has been heralded as one of the best video games of all time, even 20 years after its release.
Final Fantasy VI debuted in the U.S. as Final Fantasy III on the Super Nintendo back in the mid 1990’s. The game was released by Squaresoft, the name the RPG maker used before its 2003 merger with Enix. For an RPG, the title did surprisingly well in the states, a market where RPG’s traditionally take a backseat to action and sports games. Final Fantasy VI was released on the Playstation in 1999, when Square released the Final Fantasy Anthology which included ports of FF IV, FFV and FFVI. A revamped Final Fantasy VI landed on the Game Boy Advance in 2006 and included some new goodies as well as updated graphics.
So far, Square Enix’s ports of Final Fantasy games to Android have been spot on, taking care to keep the gameplay and features identical to the original version, all the while reimagined the graphics with today’s technology. Control is fluid, and the stories remain as exciting as they did the first time through. So far, Square Enix has released Final Fantasy V , Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: After Years for Android.
It’s not Final Fantasy VII, but that’s okay. At the rate Square Enix is going, we should be doing battle with Sephiroth pretty soon.
Ready? Head on over to the Google Play Store and download Final Fantasy VI for your Android device. It’s $15.99 but it’s worth every last gil.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Price: $6.99
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has made its way to mobile, landing on iOS, Android and Kindle devices. Everyone’s favorite 90?s themed bloody escapade has been updated with remastered graphics, cloud saving and support for many Bluetooth gamepads, including MoGa Game Controllers.
If you never experienced the glory that is GTA: San Andreas, here’s a summary of the story straight from Rockstar:
Five years ago, Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas, a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption. Where filmstars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers.
Now, it’s the early 90’s. Carl’s got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster.
On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.
Rockstar Games brings its biggest release to mobile yet with a vast open-world covering the state of San Andreas and its three major cities – Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas – with enhanced visual fidelity and over 70 hours of gameplay.
Grab Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Android and get to blasting!
Final Fantasy IV: After Years
Price: $10.99
Final Fantasy IV is one of the most loved games in the legendary series. First released in the U.S. on the Super Nintendo as FF II, the great characters and story took Final Fantasy, and the RPG genre to another level. When Final Fantasy IV: After Years came out for the Wii in 2008, fans jumped at the opportunity to revisit the world of FFIV. Now all the After Years content has been collected and landed on Android, with amazing graphics and a surprisingly easy to use control scheme.
FF IV: After Years put you back in the shoes of Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, Cid and the others heroes of Final Fantasy IV. Unlike the Wii version, which stuck to a 16-bit style, this version uses the same assets as the 3D remake of FFIV – just as the recent release of the game for Android. You can revisit many of the locations from the original game and experience the world in the aftermath of its events.
You can grab Final Fantasy IV: After Years on the Google Play Store for $10.99.
Solitaire
Price: Free
While some may say solitaire is boring, its still a blast to many. Yeah, it may not be all out cop killing action like GTA: San Andreas or the beautiful character design of the Final Fantasy games, but its simple, fun and a great time waster.