Have you ever thrown a round, black bird at a stone house and watched the whole thing explode?
You can now.
Whether you have an iPod or iPhone, here are a few gaming apps that are sure to become favorites you can’t stop playing.
99¢ apps
1. Angry Birds
When the birds have their eggs stolen by green pigs, they decide to do everything they can to get revenge and save the eggs. Your goal is to kill the green pigs and destroy as much as you can in order to get a high score. With tons of unlockable levels, this is a game that will have you playing for hours.
2. Doodle Jump
Games similar to Doodle Jump can be found online, if you feel the need to test it out before buying (just search Doodle Jump in Google). Get higher and higher in the doodle-world by landing on platforms and shooting monsters. With different themes that include jungles to space to holidays to even soccer for all those who watched the World Cup, Doodle Jump is always sure to offer something fun and new, just when you want it.
3. Pocket God
You are the god of the islanders called "Pygmies." You can choose to be merciful and kind, gifting your little people with dance, fire and food. Or, you can choose to be cruel and have them attacked by laser-bearing sharks, shoot them with lightning, drown them, throw them into a volcano or even have them fall into the sky by flipping your iPhone upside down. The problem with Pocket God is that when you’ve done everything the game will allow you to do you have to wait for an update.
4. Glee
While this app has a lot of problems, it is still one of my favorites. Glee fans — or even those who don’t care a thing about the hit T.V. show — will find themselves in love with this singing game (iPod Touch users must have a microphone or they won’t be able to use three-fourths of the app). Pick a song you like and sing. The songs already on the app come with lyrics and lines to show you what pitch you should be on. The app is complete with autotune, which is a fantastic feature that can make almost anyone sound like Rachel Berry; and harmonies, which are formed by duplicating your voice on different keys as you sing. Then you can share your singing with the world and listen to others’ singing, giving "Gleeks" or stars to those who sound the best. Problems I have encountered include the music stopping mid-song and options like choosing songs from your iTunes collection not working at all. According to Smule, they have already sent an update that should fix this to Apple for confirmation.
5. Doodle God
Doodle God is surprisingly difficult. The goal is to mix different "elements" to try and form new ones. For example, mixing fire and air creates energy, while mixing fire and earth makes lava. With interesting art and funny quotes after each new element is created, this game will have you perplexed and playing longer than you thought possible. If you get stumped, no worries, there is an option that will give you hints on what to do next.
Free apps
1. Words with Friends Free
Basically Scrabble on your iPhone. You compete with points, just like traditional scrabble, and can even chat with the person you’re playing with. A truly fun game, even for those who have never been fans of traditional Scrabble.
2. Charadium Free
Take turns drawing while everyone else guesses. You are given a random word and can choose different colors and, if no one guesses as time runs out, they will be given hints — hangman-style. You can form private rooms with friends and earn points to win rounds.
3. Meritum Paint
This app isn’t a game, but a fun way to make finger art. When you touch the screen, random swirls and leafy shapes of a slowly changing gradient follow your finger. If you drag three or four fingers across the screen at the same time, different colors will pop up for each finger. If you press the home button on your iPhone while pressing the off button, you can take a screenshot of your masterpiece.
4. Godfinger
Gain mana as a god to give your people rain, scorch the land or change the shape of your world. You use gold to buy your people buildings to work on and places to rest. It’s a real time game that requires you to wait a certain amount of time before being able to collect rewards, like more gold, and allows you to add the planets of friends to your galaxy. An interactive and funny game, it’s sure to keep you coming back for more.
5. Unblock Me Free
Unblock Me Free is shockingly addictive. The goal is to free the red block from the wooden blocks that have trapped it. Some blocks can only move left and right while others can only move up and down, the exit always in the same place. The trick is to just keep moving things until the red block escapes. This game is truly challenging as long as you don’t treat it like it is, and it’s a price that anyone with an iPhone can afford: free.
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