#1: Ingress
The parallel world created by Google’s Niantic Labs for Ingress really shows off the potential of augmented reality gaming. It’s an MMO sci-fi game where you must choose factions and take part as the Resistance or the Enlightened. You fight over portals in real-world locations, and you can even suggest new entries. There are plenty of mysteries to solve; there’s a social collaborative aspect; and it encourages real-world exploration. It’s hard to explain, and it’s still in closed beta right now, but if you’re intrigued then request an invite here.
#2: Plague Inc.
Ever had one of those days where you feel like wiping out humankind? You need to download Plague Inc. Your mission is to infect the world with a deadly virus or disease and see if you can wipe humanity out before it can adapt and survive. This is an absorbing strategy game and, despite the morbid premise, it’s very tough to put down once you start playing.
#3: Hill Climb Racing
Instantly accessible and fiendishly addictive, Hill Climb Racing is a physics-based driving game. You play as Newton Bill and the aim is to get through a series of bumpy maps while collecting as many coins and pulling off as many tricks as possible. It looks basic, but it’s a lot of fun and the upgrades give you a good incentive to keep playing.
#4: Angry Birds Space
Just when you thought Angry Birds had left the nest, Rovio brings it back. Angry Birds Space is the first true sequel to Birds and comes packed with classic bird-slinging action, but entirely new types of puzzles. The space setting allows the game to toy with gravity and planets. Now, birds fly in whatever direction the gravity goes, adding a whole new dynamic. Since each planet has its own gravity field (like a halo around the planet), you can make birds spin around planets and fly in all sorts of directions.
#5: Slice It!
Have you heard of Fruit Ninja? It’s a popular iPhone/Android game where you slice fruit by swiping the screen with your finger. It’s highly addictive. Slice It uses the same basic idea, but adds a new dimension. Instead of an action slicing game, Com2uS challenges you to take your time and cut a shape into the proper number of shapes using slices. The result is a bit slower, but a helluva lot of fun. With more than 140 levels and support for multiple languages, this is one of the most polished and complete games on Android. Take your time and have a blast.
