The relationship between games and phones go quite a ways back, as I’m sure many of you know. Even back on some of the more simple cell phones of our generation, like the classic Nokia brick phone or just about any flip phone, there was usually a game or two pre-loaded onto the phone. Games like Snake, Pac-Man, and Tetris were some of the more common titles. Back then, having any selection of games available on your phone was a huge bonus that usually had to be bought for $3-$5. These days, games on phones are a dime a dozen.
I’ve always loved games. My earliest memory of any game being played is watching my older brother play Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo, and eventually playing the game myself. The following years would be similar, and I seemed to always follow in the footpath of my brother when it came to games. Whatever games I watched him play, I wanted to play. Eventually, I broke off and found which games I preferred and sought new games out for myself. For a while I mostly played on PC or console, but once smartphones were part of my life I began to wonder what kind of games these new pocket-sized computers could handle.
Well-known titles like Angry Birds, Bejeweled, and Cut The Rope were some of the first games I tried, and I have to admit that they were all very visually pleasing. Primarily I use my PC to game, but if your PC isn’t up to date with all of the bells and whistles, you sometimes have to sacrifice graphics in the name of being able to play without insane lag between framerates, if at all. So far, my phone was able to run these popular games with no problem. Of course, these games also weren’t graphic intensive. It was time to see how 3D games ran on my phone.
At this point, which was back in 2011, I found that the correlation between computer and smartphone were very similar. Some phones couldn’t run more graphic intensive games because specs were too low - at least, back then. If you wanted to make sure your phone ran the most intense games on the market, you were going to need to pony up for a flagship. Fortunately, these days, it would seem that most smartphones can run most games without a hitch. Some run them better than others, but for the most part they all seem playable to say the least.
When it comes to what games I actually like to play, it really depends on how much time I have. I enjoy more laid back games like Cut The Rope or (my personal favorite) Dragon, Fly! for when time is tight or uncertain, like waiting in a waiting room or something of that nature. When I have more time, I like to invest in some of the MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) that the markets have to offer. My personal favorite has always been Gameloft’s Order & Chaos, which strongly resembles a mobile version of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. Avabel Online, Dragon Eternity, and Pocket Legends are also games that I have tried and enjoyed.
I like MMORPGs because I like competing with real people, but I also like RPGs for the times where I just want to get immersed in a story. I love the fact that every platform seems to have one or two Final Fantasy adaptions available, which is one of my favorite game series. I also played through The Bard’s Tale not too long ago, which is great for some witty humor.
I guess at the end of the day I end up playing all types of games on my phone. I love that I’m able to take games with me without having to lug around an extra handheld console. The endless possibilities with games on these devices is unbelievable, and probably one of my favorite aspects of smartphones today.
Readers, when it comes to gaming on your phone, what kind of games do you play? Do you like to play more laid back games, or do you get really intense with your smartphone gaming? Let us know in the comments below!
Images via Ars Technica, Mike Shouts
