Top 50 iPhone Games 2009, Part 3: The Big Surprises

January 1st, 2010

James Isabel

What exactly defines 10 of the Top 50 iPhone Games 2009 as “surprise games”? Well bear with me here, but these games are the ones that we had most doubts about before release OR completely surpasses all odds and expectations. Let’s run down the list, and you’ll understand why we categorized them as such.

BACKBREAKER FOOTBALL, we wanted to start off the list with a game that had every capacity of failing. What with the memory hogging (in looks) console like graphics, this game actually plays VERY smoothly and is one of the most addicting games we’ve played all year.

backbreaker-football-7

SPACE INVADERS INFINITY GENE, OMG! Did Taito really just released this game? I wouldn’t name names but retro ports usually suck. This game however is rebuilt from the ground up to create an experience exclusive for the iPhone.

GLYDER 2, I’ve heard the comments before “the controls are too hard”. Well guess what? This game is not for sissies. The controls do take a while to master, but once you get it all dialed in, you’ll simply be enthralled by this amazing game.

glyder-2-snow1

GEOSPARK, take what was good in geoDefense Swarm and make a casual game out of it and there spawns greatness. Ultra simple game where the goal is to pop objects, this game is more than addicting.

DARK NEBULA, sure Labyrinth 2 covered all the ground on ball tilting right? Wrong! What began as a highly doubtful ball tilting slash platformer game became one of the most polished games we’ve seen this year. When episode two hits later this year, we’ll be ecstatic!

dark-nebula-1-6

SQUAREBALL, when every brick breaker is played vertically, Squareball switches the game horizontally and transforms it to a “mini-platformer game”. Though not as epic as EDGE (which was released last year), this game still deserves a spot on our list.

CROSS FINGERS, my first impressions were that’s it’s “MEHH-ful”. Once I played the game though, which really focuses on multitouch than puzzle difficulty, I was hooked. Never did I have to use my fingers as frantically since this next game.

cross-fingers-3

ELISS, Eliss looks like one of those way out there kind of game: bizarre graphics, funky sounds and weird color palettes. Everything comes together as soon as you play your first game. Wonderful, unique, and challenging levels await for those who are brave!

ORBITAL, Bust-A-Move should have taken the world of the ball busting genre. Instead, Orbital comes along to redefine the game by upping the difficulty up a bit. With the just added “Supernova” mode, Orbital becomes a must have game.

orbital-2009

We’re about halfway done with our countdown. Twenty more to go! Did we miss anything? Any thoughts on these 10?

Posted in Features

Tags: Backbreaker Football, Cross Fingers, Dark Nebula, Eliss, geoSpark, Glyder 2, Orbital, Space Invaders Infinity Gene, Squareball, Top 50 iPhone Games 2009

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kdhomick

Some great games here, so not so great ones, too.

Backbreaker was to football what HR Battle was to baseball (minus the online multiplayer). Another great mini-game concept that has captivated me and left me wanting more… in a good way. Take one of the most exciting aspects of football (open-field running), combine it with waves of huge guys trying to take me out, give me juke and spin options to avoid, and also cause any tackles that do occur to be bone-crunching, wince-in-pain-even-though-it's-not-me action. And it's dirt cheap! One of my few immediate purchases.

Glyder 2 is a lot like Glyder, so I'm not sure why it made the Surprises list. If you own the first, you should not be surprised by the second. Still, it remains a terrific game once the controls are learned (which doesn't take long). I love exploring and watching how close I can get to smacking into things while pulling away at the last second. Beautiful game.

GeoSpark sort of came out of left field for me, but it's 1 of my 2 go-to games when I have 2 minutes to spare. The screenshots didn't do a lot for it, but the videos sold me. Plays similar to AquaGlobs, but SOOOOOO much better.

Dark Nebula was a bit of a surprise. Thought it was just a little ball-rolling game at first, but it's much more. Tons of obstacles, spot-on controls, and awesome graphics to boot. Only complaint is the 10 levels are short and sweet. There will be more episodes as separate games, so if the dollar is worth such a short game, we recommend it.

Cross Fingers is one of the nicer tanagram games we've seen. From the makes of EDGE (kiss off, Langdell), it brings a lot of polish and fun to the genre. With obstacle blocks and slide back into place when released, you'll tie your fingers in knots sometimes to get the target blocks through the mazes. Lot of content and gotta love supporting Mobigames.

Eliss is another that I wasn't sold on my the screenies, but the lite version hooked me so I got it and have enjoyed my time with it. I don't play it often, but it really is nice for what it does.

Orbital is my other go-to game. I'm obsessed a bit with this one. Dead simple yet wickedly challeging. Screenies look nice, but don't tell the story. Game vid sold me immediately and I never looked back.

Space Invaders…. just didn't care.

Squareball looked interesting, but never picked it up. Could truly be a surprise if I do, but I'm not jumping just yet.

http://twitter.com/watever486 @watever486

Wait so do you have Space Invaders? I've never before heard of someone who played SIIG and hated it.
kdhomick

No, I didn't care enough to get it. Nobody has been convincing enough to make me get it.
http://twitter.com/wamid @wamid

yup me too!! it just seemed like any other ordinary game..

kdhomick

Some great games here, so not so great ones, too.

Backbreaker was to football what HR Battle was to baseball (minus the online multiplayer). Another great mini-game concept that has captivated me and left me wanting more… in a good way. Take one of the most exciting aspects of football (open-field running), combine it with waves of huge guys trying to take me out, give me juke and spin options to avoid, and also cause any tackles that do occur to be bone-crunching, wince-in-pain-even-though-it's-not-me action. And it's dirt cheap! One of my few immediate purchases.

Glyder 2 is a lot like Glyder, so I'm not sure why it made the Surprises list. If you own the first, you should not be surprised by the second. Still, it remains a terrific game once the controls are learned (which doesn't take long). I love exploring and watching how close I can get to smacking into things while pulling away at the last second. Beautiful game.

GeoSpark sort of came out of left field for me, but it's 1 of my 2 go-to games when I have 2 minutes to spare. The screenshots didn't do a lot for it, but the videos sold me. Plays similar to AquaGlobs, but SOOOOOO much better.

Dark Nebula was a bit of a surprise. Thought it was just a little ball-rolling game at first, but it's much more. Tons of obstacles, spot-on controls, and awesome graphics to boot. Only complaint is the 10 levels are short and sweet. There will be more episodes as separate games, so if the dollar is worth such a short game, we recommend it.

Cross Fingers is one of the nicer tanagram games we've seen. From the makes of EDGE (kiss off, Langdell), it brings a lot of polish and fun to the genre. With obstacle blocks and slide back into place when released, you'll tie your fingers in knots sometimes to get the target blocks through the mazes. Lot of content and gotta love supporting Mobigames.

Eliss is another that I wasn't sold on my the screenies, but the lite version hooked me so I got it and have enjoyed my time with it. I don't play it often, but it really is nice for what it does.

Orbital is my other go-to game. I'm obsessed a bit with this one. Dead simple yet wickedly challeging. Screenies look nice, but don't tell the story. Game vid sold me immediately and I never looked back.

Space Invaders…. just didn't care.

Squareball looked interesting, but never picked it up. Could truly be a surprise if I do, but I'm not jumping just yet.

http://twitter.com/watever486 @watever486

Wait so do you have Space Invaders? I've never before heard of someone who played SIIG and hated it.
kdhomick

No, I didn't care enough to get it. Nobody has been convincing enough to make me get it.
http://twitter.com/wamid @wamid

yup me too!! it just seemed like any other ordinary game..

http://twitter.com/Alex_Ferrigno @Alex_Ferrigno

Yep, good list, all really did surprise me, and I did find cross fingers especially fun and addicting, just wish there were more levels

http://twitter.com/Alex_Ferrigno @Alex_Ferrigno

Yep, good list, all really did surprise me, and I did find cross fingers especially fun and addicting, just wish there were more levels

http://www.twitter.com/erichd ErichD

Backbreaker definitely surprised everyone, especially with its recent update to cement it more than a tech demo.

I'm bookmarking the rest of this list for future enjoyment – thanks for the tips!

http://www.twitter.com/erichd ErichD

Backbreaker definitely surprised everyone, especially with its recent update to cement it more than a tech demo.

I'm bookmarking the rest of this list for future enjoyment – thanks for the tips!

http://intensedebate.com/people/cjsbug cjsbug

Is it just me or are there only 9 surprises listed? I guess the 10th one really is a surprise

have to agree with Eliss for sure. Really look lames from the screenshots, but the gameplay was something different, very challenging and unique.

geoSpark wasn't really a surprise to me. I saw the video and read about the collaboration of the two devs. Is an awesome pick-up-and-play just as I expected.

I missed Orbital somehow and was intrigued by your writeup. So I went to get it today. Sonofabitch, the 2 1/2 month .99 sale ended yesterday! Great timing on my part.

http://intensedebate.com/people/ninjames ninjames

HOLY MOLY!!! The legend of the missing game not on our list. Lemme go find it right now.
http://intensedebate.com/people/cjsbug cjsbug

To follow up, I picked up Orbital the other day. I've already burned a couple hours on this one. It tough and super addictive. One bad shot and you're starting over at square one. I'm pulling my hair out and then going back for more.
http://intensedebate.com/people/ninjames ninjames

YUP! The supernova mode is intense. Honestly I thought the other 2 games are miles below the new mode

http://intensedebate.com/people/cjsbug cjsbug

Is it just me or are there only 9 surprises listed? I guess the 10th one really is a surprise

have to agree with Eliss for sure. Really look lames from the screenshots, but the gameplay was something different, very challenging and unique.

geoSpark wasn't really a surprise to me. I saw the video and read about the collaboration of the two devs. Is an awesome pick-up-and-play just as I expected.

I missed Orbital somehow and was intrigued by your writeup. So I went to get it today. Sonofabitch, the 2 1/2 month .99 sale ended yesterday! Great timing on my part.

http://intensedebate.com/people/ninjames ninjames

HOLY MOLY!!! The legend of the missing game not on our list. Lemme go find it right now.
http://intensedebate.com/people/cjsbug cjsbug

To follow up, I picked up Orbital the other day. I've already burned a couple hours on this one. It tough and super addictive. One bad shot and you're starting over at square one. I'm pulling my hair out and then going back for more.
http://intensedebate.com/people/ninjames ninjames

YUP! The supernova mode is intense. Honestly I thought the other 2 games are miles below the new mode

http://twitter.com/smithy1111 @smithy1111

Glyder 2 was not a surprise for me – Glyder (1) was AMAZING! I couldn't understand why it was .99 cents for a long time. Backbreaker Football, however, was and is a surprise success. I think it's a great game, but I'm very surprised it's in the top 25 and staying.

http://twitter.com/smithy1111 @smithy1111

Glyder 2 was not a surprise for me – Glyder (1) was AMAZING! I couldn't understand why it was .99 cents for a long time. Backbreaker Football, however, was and is a surprise success. I think it's a great game, but I'm very surprised it's in the top 25 and staying.

http://twitter.com/itbidetseat Bidet Seat

Great post