Having had my iPad for a couple of months now I’ve managed to evaluate a fair few games that are on offer.  I wasn’t expecting too much from iPad gaming, to be honest I didn’t see much that developers could do differently compared to the iPhone and iPod Touch.  How wrong I was!  The extra real screen real estate, coupled with the extra horsepower of Apples A4 processor, make the iPad an ideal platform for gaming.  What follows are my ten personal favorite (paid for) games.  These are in no order, prices are correct at time of going to press.

1)  N.O.V.A

Who ever thought that the iPad would be any good for first person shooters?  Yes, the control mechanism takes some getting used to, but the graphics are sure to leave your jaw on the floor.  The first time I played it I couldn’t believe that my little iPad was capable of such things.  The story has been told a million times and the gameplay isn’t exactly original, but it’s worth it just to show what the iPad is able to do.

Price: £2.99

Rating: 7/10

2)  Need For Speed: Shift

Driving games are the obvious choice when thinking which type of game is best suited to the iPad; the built in accelerometer turns your humble iPad into a steering wheel in the ultimate driving experience.  The controls are simple, you have a brake and uh…… that’s about it:  The game does the accelerating for you allowing you to focus on drifting around corners or stopping before you hit that brick wall.  There are four race tracks, with multiple events at each, and different types of races (one on one, beat the clock, etc.).  The only downside is the price, £7.49 is A LOT of money for an iPad app, no matter how beautifully polished it is.

Price: £7.49

Rating: 8/10

3)  Tap Tap Radiation

Anyone with an iPhone is probably familiar with the Tap Tap series of games.  Think of it as a cross between Guitar Hero and Dance Stage, the idea is to tap the highlighted areas of the screen in time with orbs that approach said areas on a vector……… Ok, that doesn’t do it justice, you really need to see it for yourself.  The Tap Tap guys have done a tremendous job of making use of the extra screen space and power of the iPad, the game just looks fantastic.  Add to that that there are a fair few songs offered for free as standard (though few that you are likely to recognise).  The only downside is that if you want any songs that you actually may have heard somewhere then you’re going to have to shell out for them, that being said the app itself is free so it’s worth a go.

Price: FREE (though additional songs cost money)

Rating: 8/10

4)  Angry Birds HD

Oh yes….. They’re back, and angrier than ever.  Angry Birds certainly needs to introduction, there’s a reason it’s been the number one “paid for” app in the UK iTunes store.  Throw into the mix the HD graphics of the iPad and it gets all the more interesting.  For those who haven’t had the privilege, the idea of Angry Birds is to hurl your protagonists at an army of green, egg snatching pigs, on an epic adventure to recover the soon-to-be offspring of your avian chums.  As you progress the levels get harder, with more obstacles between bird and pig, and with different breeds of bird becoming available, each with their own special power.  Angry Birds is one of the few games in the app store to receive regular updates that includes new levels and characters, well worth the price, even if you already own the iPhone version.

Price: £2.99

Rating 9/10

5)  Worms HD

Yes, it’s another iPhone conversion.  There is little in the way of difference between the iPhone and iPad versions, save some upgraded textures and animation for the HD offering.  Worms is funny on any device though, be it the original PSone version or it’s modern day iPad equivalent.  That being said, the iOS version of this cult classic has nothing new, and there’s no sign from the developers that there ever will be.  It’s funny, but we’ve seen it all before.

Price: £2.99

Rating: 8/10

6)  Air Attack HD

A novel concept on the iPad, though not a new concept in terms of gaming, Air Attack HD puts you in command of a fighter jet running missions through Nazi Germany.  The controls are simple, track your finger around the screen to move the plane, tap the plane to drop a bomb, as per most of the classics of this genre the game does all the firing for you.  The game gets progressively harder, and some of the end bosses will have you pulling your hair out, but there is a knack to most of them and it shouldn’t take you too long to figure out what it is.  The ability to upgrade your plane using cash gained from flattening villages is a good idea, though I’m not sure what kind of message that sends…… Hmmm.  Anyway, for 59p it’s an absolute steal, buy it now!

Price: £0.59

Rating: 10/10

7)  Bruce Lee: Dragon Warrior

Why this game appears so far down the list of paid applications is beyond me, it should be top 50 at least, but for some reason it’s not.  Maybe dear old Bruce is not as popular as he used to be.  In any case, Dragon Warrior is an opportunity to compete as the master himself in an amazing 3D beat-em-up world.  This is another title which truly illustrates the power of the iPad, the characters appear somewhat cartoony at times, but it wouldn’t be the first time a beat-em-up was based on drawings.  The story mode can become repetitive, but it does unlock new characters and moves which can then be utilized in arcade mode.  Probably the best in the genre on the iPad at the moment (until Capcom wade in with Street Fighter HD that is).

Price: £1.79

Rating: 8/10

8)  Canabalt

The concept of Canabalt is simple:  You are a pixelated little man, you run along rooftops gathering speed and when you tap him you jump to overcome obstacles and ultimately escape an alien invasion.  Sounds boring….. except it isn’t.  Yes the gameplay is simple and no the graphics aren’t going to win any awards, but I just can’t put it down.  There is no end to this game, no levels, no power ups or story line, from what I can tell providing you have the skill this bad boy will run forever.  I can almost attest to this, for a brief period I was on the top 100 leaderboard of all time, but as time has gone on the popularity of Canabalt has increased and now I can only dream of achieving the scores that are shown to me everytime I view the global leader boards.  Another nice feature of Canabalt is that if you already own the iPhone version, the updated iPad version is yours to keep as well, well done to the Darrel Johnson (developer) for that one!

Price: £1.79

Rating: 9/10

9)  Conquist.

Not much needs to be said about Conquist.  Basically, it’s Risk, on the iPad, for 59p.  I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point; if you like Risk, it’s definitely worth it.

Price: £0.59

Rating: 9/10

10)  Modern Conflict HD

Any Command and Conquer fans in?  You’ll love Modern Conflict.  It’s a familiar concept, and once that you might think suits the iPad quite well.  You’re not wrong.  These kinds of games are historically point and click, so of course the iPad offers a new perspective to some fast paced RTS action.  The graphics are of a good quality and the gameplay is comparable to any RTS from the console market in the last ten years or so.  Until Microsoft release Age of Empires for the iPad, I’ll stick with Modern Conflict.

Price: £1.79

Rating: 10/10