Must have games for Android

[DesertJets]

Finally took the plunge and got a smartphone. An LG G3. In the interest of wasting time and having things to do when I can't play with the consoles or my laptop I am looking for stuff to play. This can range from simple time waster type games, puzzle games, to more immersive games -- ideally stuff that can be played in smaller chunks if need be.

 

I'd prefer F2P, but for a small purchase price (< $5) I'd consider them as well.

[warmachine]

If you haven't tried any of the GTA's yet, the ps2 era trilogy ports are very well done.

The on screen controls are quite usable, but also work well with a wired xbox 360 controller.

 

You can also play the early Megatouch and Touchmaster touchscreen arcade games via MAME.

[ZylonBane]

The answer to your question depends entirely on what type of games you like, which is information you haven't disclosed.

 

So I'm just going to say Angry Birds.

[Flojomojo]

I like Star Wars. These are some of my favorites, and they are on Android:

 

Star Wars Uprising (like Diablo)

Lego Star Wars Complete Saga

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

 

Also among my favorites:

Sorcery!

The Room

The Ur-Quan Masters HD (Star Control 2)

80 Days

Rymkapsel

Threes

All the classic console and computer emulators

Order and Chaos Online (like World of Warcraft)

Galaxy on Fire 2

 

Your tastes my vary, but there's no denying my picks are excellent. As is my taste. :-P

[Algus]

Temple Run

Really everyone who games on mobile needs to play this. It is free and it is a classic. There is also Temple Run 2 which adds more features, etc. but you really must play the first one for a little bit.

[Flojomojo]

Yes, Temple Run is an all-time great. Kids will remember it, along with Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Candy Crush, Cut the Rope, Where's My Water, Sky Burger, and Threes the way we remember Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Asteroids.

 

Speaking of classic (and classic-feeling) games, here's Gridrunner for Android. It's like Centipede's Arcade Greatest Hits.

http://minotaurproject.co.uk/Minotaur/donate.php

 

For another take on Temple Run, check out Minion Rush.

 

Endless runners have a very 1980s arcade vibe to me. That's not a bad thing.

[ZylonBane]

BTW, only attempt to play action games that use on-screen virtual controls if you really, really hate yourself.

[triverse]

Here is my Youtube channel, I have quite a varied set of games with gameplay videos up so you can see them in action. All of them are running on hardware much less powerful than your LG G3 so they should run better on your phone.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/S7MGHandHelds/videos

I would suggest getting something like the GDP XD if you are wanting to play stuff that has on screen controls - http://www.willgoo.com/gpd-xd-pocket-gaming-tablet-rk3288-quadcore-5-ips-p-637.html

[Flojomojo]

I think the GPD XD is neat, and a must-have for old-style SNES type games in emulation (a lot of Neo Geo games have native Android ports too), and button friendly things like Soul Calibur, but it's crazy awkward for modern things designed for touch.

 

I generally agree with the idea of avoiding fast NES type action games with virtual sticks and buttons, but many of them are simple enough to be fun. Asphalt 8, Galaxy on Fire 2, Geometry Wars 3, Pac-Man 256, Crossy Road....any of these would be at home on a reborn retro console, but play perfectly fine with touch controls.

[triverse]

Flojo, I agree with you about your analysis of the GDP. It is quite good for "non touch" style games such as action games and the like but for stuff like Game of War, Empire War, etc. It is awkward at best. I wish I still had my JXD S7300B. It was like a Wii U controller so turning it up right like you would use a cell phone is not all that uncomfortable. The GPD does open "flat" so it is not that tough to play that way, just more annoying than on a tablet.

[xenomorpher]

Neon Shadow is a pretty fun FPS that controls very well with a PS3 controller.

Edited January 16, 2016 by xenomorpher

[ZylonBane]

Neon Shadow is a pretty fun FPS that controls very well with a PS3 controller.

 

I imagine that would be great for people who walk around with a PS3 controller in their pocket.

[xenomorpher]

 

I imagine that would be great for people who walk around with a PS3 controller in their pocket.

Or a backpack if someone is in college or out and about. Beats touch screen controls on a tiny screen.

 

There's a clip that mounts a smartphone to a controller if you ever want to go that route.

Edited January 16, 2016 by xenomorpher

[HammR25]

Solitaire City is a really well done solitaire game with several different solitaire variations. It's a good time waster. It's a free download but costs $3 to get all of the solitaire variations.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digitalsmoke.solitairecity&hl=en

[Flojomojo]

Some more stuff comes to mind. I live on iOS but try to keep a toe hold elsewhere just to see what's going on. Many iOS games are on Android.

 

Horizon Chase (like a 1980s view of how a 2016 game would look)

Final Freeway (and its sequel, which are like Outrun)

Monument Valley

Prune

[cimerians]

Been playing a game on my phone the past few days, an odd one that caught my attention. It’s called Lifeline. It’s a text based game where you get messages from this guy who’s spaceship just crashed and you are giving him your advice and such. Imagine Planetfall or Zork, but where the main character texts you every so often and says, this is my situation, what do you think I should do? A or B? Then they go off for 20 min – x hours and do what you told them and then it updates you as things progress. I got my guy killed <.<…

Once you get the guy killed you can turn off the waiting part of the game where it says he is busy doing whatever, but it’s actually better and more realistic if you leave it turned on. It’s like little bite sized bits of Zork throughout your day that take 1-5 min at a time.

It’s free and didn’t see any option to buy/pay for anything. I would recommend it, pretty cool.

[Inky]

I've recently been addicted to Minute Dungeon.

[Newsdee]

The Kairosoft games are a lot of fun. I started with Game Dev Story (manage a game studio to make your own games and consoles), then they have a series of similar games with slightly different gameplay twists each.

[Jess Ragan]

Alphabear is fun if you like word games, with Mad Libs-like sentences created with the words you've spelled after each game. It's free to start, but five dollars gets you infinite honey (plays) and coin bonuses. If you don't like the game, just don't pay the five dollars.

[Inky]

The Kairosoft games are a lot of fun. I started with Game Dev Story (manage a game studio to make your own games and consoles), then they have a series of similar games with slightly different gameplay twists each.

Another +1 for Kairosoft games. I love Game Dev Story and Kairobotica.

[Flojomojo]

Another +1 for Kairosoft games. I love Game Dev Story and Kairobotica.

So long as you're willing to look past the archaic graphics and interface, ported from old Java phones.

 

Playing through Game Dev Story should be required before being allowed to write anything critical of the industry!

[MrMaddog]

I recommend Star Trek Timelines, you get crew members from various time periods and have to use the right ones to make choices in the away missions. Plus the space battles are real time and you use battle stations to increase evasiveness, attack strength or accuracy. Very well done for a mobile game..

 

.another good one is Crossy Road, it's endless Frogger but funny and you can rack up different characters with some effects.

[Ninjabba]

Baldur's Gate 1 & 2... a bit pricey, but I'm enjoying the hell out of these games. Would only play it on a tablet though.

[Flojomojo]

Everybody I know who is into mobile games is nutso for Crashlands. I'm going to play it on iOS, but you can make an account and go between the Steam (PC/Mac) version, iOS, and Android.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bscotch.crashlands