Android Games - ranked by preference

Release Date: December 1, 2011 (JP)
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Media Vision
Genre: RPG

Chaos Rings isn't the deepest RPG...And the gameplay isn't necessarily anything new. What makes Chaos Rings so good in my eyes? The story. I've heard some folks say they hated the story. I'm not one of those people. I found it really interesting and totally different from anything else I'd seen before. I played it to 100% completion and loved every single second of it. I've enjoyed a decent number of iPhone and Android games, but in my opinion, Chaos Rings is at the very top of that list.

Release Date: October 4, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Ndemic Creations
Developer: Ndemic Creations
Genre: Strategy

I never thought that wiping out the entire planet by spreading and evolving a disease could be so addicting...But Plague Inc. ensured that I spent hours of my life just staring at my smartphone screen, watching a map of the planet slowly turn red as I watch my infection (which I named Pnuenza) cover the world. The unique strategy of making your disease spread without anyone noticing, and then evolving the disease to being fatal once everyone has it is refreshing. If you just make it fatal immediately, airports shut down, borders are closed, and you won't get it spread. If you're more stealthy, you might be able to make it to the olympics and watch with glee as the world games spread your plague all over the planet. Of course, people will try to find a cure and you've got to try to prevent that as well. It's such a simple game...And yet, it's extremely addicting. I highly recommend it.

Release Date: November 8, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Rovio Mobile
Developer: Rovio Mobile
Genre: Puzzle

Angry Birds Star Wars mixes the best of Angry Birds and the best of Angry Birds Space and mixes the two together with the Star Wars franchise to create the best game in the Angry Birds series thus far. I thought that this game would be Angry Birds "jumping the shark" so to speak, but instead it feels refreshing. With many of the birds (dressed like Star Wars folk) having new abilities, it makes toppling the pigs over feel like something new. I'm not much of a Star Wars fan, but I feel like the addition of lightsabers and the like helped breath some new life into the Angry Birds series.

Release Date: June 30, 2011 (NA)
Publisher: Chillingo
Developer: ZeptoLab
Genre: Puzzle

Cut the Rope is a simple, but very good mind-bender of a puzzle game. The goal is to feed the monster candy. The trick is that the candy is attached to ropes, and you've got to figure out how to get the treat into that monster's mouth while fighting both gravity and hazards in the levels. It seems to get mixed reactions from people, but I firmly believe that this is a solid, different puzzle experience and a great choice when looking for a worthwhile game on your smartphone.

Release Date: September 15, 2011 (NA)
Publisher: Adult Swim Games
Developer: Adult Swim Games
Genre: Puzzle

Monsters Ate My Condo kind of surprised me...And I'm not really sure why. When I see that Adult Swim put out a game, I always expect the worst, but they usually deliver with something both good and bizarre. Monsters Ate My Condo easily fits that bill, providing a very solid puzzle experience mixed with a bizarre premise of feeding sections of buildings to various, giant monsters, while trying to prevent your condo from falling over at the same time. It's a blast to play and a must-buy title if you're a fan of puzzle games. With how many hours this game has taken from my life, I think it should be re-named Monsters Ate My Life....That was a bad joke, but this is a good game. Get it.

Release Date: July 24, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: LeTang, Inc.
Developer: LeTang, Inc.
Genre: Action - Brawler

King Fighter III is a pretty good brawler that seems to be an Android exclusive title. The game plays pretty well, though the touch-screen controls are a bit over-sensitive, resulting in you often wandering places you don't wish to go. In a brawler, that's not a major issue, but it's still an annoying problem. When the controls aren't acting goofy, you've got a solid little brawler that's pretty fun to play if brawlers are your thang. With a level-up system and skills to unlock, there's plenty here to help prevent the game from feeling too repetitive as you play on. It's nothing worth going out of your way to play, but you're probably not gonna feel like you wasted your time if you downloaded it, either.

Release Date: March 2011 (NA)
Publisher: Rovio Mobile
Developer: 20th Century Fox Video Games
Genre: Puzzle

Using Angry Birds as a marketing ploy to see their movie, 20th Century Fox made a game based around their then-upcoming film, Rio. The result? A passable experience, but not up to the quality of other Angry Birds games. The main issue being physics. Angry Birds isn't exactly known for having spot-on physics, but Angry Birds Rio just had me scratching my head. Also annoying is the seemingly random way that bird cages open. Some will fall from a decent height and be fine. Others are destroyed in mid-air, while not even touching anything. It can be quite frustrating. That said, this still has the addicting characteristic that previous Angry Birds games had...But it lacks some of the overall quality, which makes it a game only worth playing if you've played through all of the other Angry Birds games and still can't get enough.

Release Date: December 3, 2012 (NA)
Publisher: Italy Games
Developer: Italy Games
Genre: Racing

Speed Racing is an okay racing game on Android. You're not really racing against an opponent as much as you're racing against time and distance. Your goal is to last as long as possible and go as far as you can before crashing into obstacles like walls or other cars. It's a decent premise and is moderate fun...But there's also nothing worthwhile to keep you from coming back once you've had your fill...And I think most folks will have their fill in a matter of half an hour or so.

Release Date: December 24, 2010 (NA)
Publisher: Larva Labs Ltd.
Developer: Larva Labs Ltd.
Genre: RPG

I want to like Gurk...But my main issue with it is that it's totally possible to have an 8-bit RPG play like a more-modern one with 8-bit graphics. And that said, Gurk isn't absolutely terrible, but it's behind the times, and not in a cool, retro, nostalgic way. I will say, however, that while the combat system definitely has plenty of flaws, I did also enjoy it to a point. Gurk promises to be the retro-style RPG that you've been waiting for. Instead it's just a mildy amusing disappointment to encounter as you continue to wait.