platformers

The weekend is all about downtime. Well, maybe not for everybody, but we certainly hope you get a little time to yourself. In any case, it's always good to have some great time-wasters on your iPhone for whenever you get a break in the action. Fortunately, some excellent games came out recently (and one went on sale) that you really should check out.

This week's iOS apps are all top-shelf titles that are perfect for taking a break. The first is a popular console remake with tons of content that has hit its lowest price to date. The second is a very well-designed platformer that's skyrocketing up the iTunes app charts. The third app takes zombie destruction to a whole new level--way up in a machine-gun-equipped airplane.… Read more

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty is an action-adventure game that puts you in the Cap's fittingly patriotic shoes. With trusty shield in hand, you battle your way through 24 stages, fight off Hydra henchmen, and eventually engage in supercharged fisticuffs with Mr. Anti-freedom himself, Red Skull. Plus, there are plenty of unlockable costumes and comic covers to keep you coming back for more. With its jaw-dropping graphics and surprisingly simple controls that actually enhance gameplay, this is one of the best-looking, most fun platform games we've seen for Android. It's definitely worth the nominal cost. But be … Read more

Once game consoles hit their stride in the '80s and '90s, the platform game became enormously popular. Especially with the release of the now legendary Mario games, just about every developer rushed to produce a game that offered that perfect mix of running, jumping, and collecting items for points, all while exploring a strange and often fantastical world.

This week's collection of apps includes modern twists on the old-school platform games many of us remember. The first lets you explore deep mines for treasure; the second will bring back memories of precision-heavy, rage-inducing platform classics; and the last offers up cartoonlike graphics as you explore a dreamlike fantasy world.… Read more

The Impossible Game, based on Xbox Live's (XBL) popular indie game, has finally been ported to Android to test your reflexive tapping skills.

Gameplay In The Impossible Game, players control an orange box speeding through an obstacle course that consists of blocks and spikes. The goal is to reach the end without colliding into oncoming objects and falling into pits. Hurdle over incoming obstacles by tapping the screen to jump. Crashing into any of the objects results in starting over at the beginning of the level.

The Impossible Game doesn't aim to be the prettiest game on the … Read more

Shift 2 is the sequel to Shift, a unique puzzle game that uses a Shift button to invert black-and-white objects, letting you walk on different surfaces to try to reach the goal. Though difficult to describe, you'll quickly understand once you start playing, and Shift 2 takes the unique game mechanic to new heights across 120 levels. Like the original, you only have a couple of controls on the bottom for running and jumping, and then Shift buttons on both sides at the top to invert the colors.

To get you started, Shift 2 gives you onscreen hints to … Read more

A number of waves have led to tremendous wealth generation in the computing industry: microprocessors, PCs, desktop software, business software, networking, online search. But to get rich today, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has this advice: build a platform.

Speaking today at a panel discussion at the e-G8 Forum in Paris, Schmidt advocated the idea of creating a foundation on which others' software can run.

"The fastest path to wealth is the construction of these digital platforms," he said, in which a company becomes the center of activity and "where other people depend on you."

And … Read more

Leap over obstacles, avoid pits of death, and run like heck in iRunner, a fast-paced running platformer where your goal is to collect as many batteries as possible. The game features vibrant HD graphics, plenty of animations, and a fun soundtrack.

Gameplay In iRunner, you play a stuffed doll who speeds through various worlds to collect items and power-ups while getting progressively faster. Controls are simple: players tap the "jump" or "slide" buttons in response to oncoming obstacles such as pitfalls, spikes, and hanging light bulbs. Collecting four costume gift boxes triggers a short animation sequence … Read more

Beyond Ynth is an innovative and idiosyncratic puzzle-platformer game, a fun follow-up to Ynth, and now also available in striking HD on the iPad.

You play as a fragile little bug named Kribl, who traverses a series of worlds of various types (forest, desert, volcano, and snow), scurrying through mazelike boxes. You push and rotate these boxes to create a safe, interconnected pathway from one end of the level to the other, and along the way (depending on the type of world you're in), you have to watch out for deadly sunbeams, freezing air, falling acorns, and the like. … Read more

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP is a stylistically unusual and engrossing action and adventure game that focuses on artistic audio and visuals. Immediately upon starting the game, you'll notice it has a very distinctive style and you'll get onscreen cues that teach you how to control your character. As the story unfolds, you'll travel across a mythic realm and solve puzzles as you go.

Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery offers a unique experience and an interesting control scheme that sets it apart from other side-scrolling games. As you travel the world, you'll run across impassable areas that … Read more