Since its launch back in September, more and more great Game Center enabled games have started to trickle into the App Store. The Majority of stand out titles that currently support Apple’s social gaming network appear to be paid Apps such as Angry Birds and Age of Zombies. This isn’t necessarily the case though and if you delve deep into the App Store you can come across some real gems for free. These are five games that I’ve been recently playing and enjoying, that I think fall into this category.
Fleet Master
Developed by Digital Future, Fleet Master is a classic game of Battle Ships, packed with great features. As well as a single player challenge, the game also offers online play with other gamers via Wi-Fi and 3G. The game includes online multiplayer chat, leaderboards, retina display optimized graphics and thirty-two achievements to unlock. In the latest update there were lots of bug fixes and the game now runs very smoothly without a hitch. Future updates are promised with in-game voice chat, customizable avatars, difficulty settings for the single player campaign and more achievements being amongst the additions.
StarDunk
StarDunk is a Massively Multiplayer Online Basketball game from Godzilab, the guys behind iBlast Moki. This game pits you against players from all around the world in online contests as you compete to score the most baskets and bag the highest score. You’re global position is updated in real-time as you play and your competitors’ scores can be seen on the rotating globe in the background. StarDunk currently contains nineteen unlockable achievements and over sixteen unique balls, all with their own capabilities. A further update for the game has been submitted to Apple (and pending approval), which will amongst other things, bring five new balls to the mix.
Star Ride
Star Ride is a title with gameplay reminiscent of one of the iPhone’s biggest hits, Doodle Jump. You control your character by sliding your finger across the screen, aiming to collide with the scattered stars, propelling yourself further upwards. There are no enemies to stand in your way, meaning you can give full concentration to hitting your targets and achieving a high score. The graphics are gorgeous and your silhouette against the backdrop, coupled with the relaxing sound effects is magical. Aside from currently sporting fourteen unlockable achievements, Star Ride supports Open Feint and has universal compatibility with the iPad.
Tagline Takedown
Developed by Conceited Software, Tagline Takedown is an interactive trivia game of movie taglines. Classics from movies such as Psycho, Ghostbusters and Critters are all present here and must be learnt before taking on the games timed challenges. You are given a well-known (or not so well known) tagline and you must choose the correct answer from four possibilities to be rewarded with points. Challenges range from ten to fifty questions, all contributing towards a global leaderboard and five unlockable achievements. Future updates have been promised and will include a multiplayer mode, more taglines and even more achievements.
The Air Hockey Game
The Air Hockey Game is as you guessed it, a classic game of Air Hockey. The game contains five levels of CPU difficulty, a multiplayer mode via device sharing and twenty unlockable achievements to keep you busy. A lot of nice features are present in this game including instant replays, extensive customization options and some great sound effects. The Air Hockey Game currently supports iOS4 multitasking and although no updates have been promised, the developers have stated future versions may be released depending on positive reviews.
