25 iPhone Games That Should Rock on the iPad
Posted 02/04/2010 at 3:53pm
| by Andrew Hayward
Paper Toss World Tour
We
turn to Paper Toss time and again for a quick fix, even though it's one
of the simpler apps in our regular rotation. But think of the
possibilities on the iPad: with the larger screen and enhanced
multi-touch capabilities, how cool would it be to quickly draw the arc
of your throw, instead of just adjust a linear shot for wind? It'd lend
Paper Toss a lot more credibility as a game, and require a whole lot
more skill from players.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Truth be told, we don't have any major gripes we'd like to see addressed in an enhanced version of Chinatown Wars -- the iPhone iteration is already extremely impressive, and we wouldn't argue against a higher-resolution upgrade for the iPad. But given the choice, we'd love to see a customizable user interface in an iPhone version, letting players drag and drop the virtual control buttons to best fit their needs.
Lumines: Touch Fusion

Spotty controls keep the iPhone version from being as intensely addicting as the console and handheld iterations, but with its stunning visual skins and engaging puzzle action, Lumines should be a perfect fit for the iPad. The additional screen real estate could be used to implement a dedicated virtual D-pad and rotation buttons, and we certainly wouldn't object to seeing the dazzlingly creative skins displayed on that 9.7-inch screen.
Must.Eat.Birds.

Protecting
various desserts from incoming birds is serious business, and the
simple act of flicking and launching the "Nomster" in this stylish
iPhone game is consistently entertaining. We'd like to see the concept
maximized on the iPad with larger versions of the game's stellar
character designs, not to mention epic onslaughts of those curious
winged creatures.
Madden NFL 10

Madden is another iPhone app that has a fair bit going for it, but it could definitely benefit from the added muscle of the iPad. Electronic Arts seems set on recharging its core properties for the tablet, and we're hoping for additional detail and fluidity in the on-screen action, better (and preferably customizable) virtual control options, and expanded use of the ability to draw your own routes on the touch screen. Instead of just scribbling hot routes on the spot, we also want to customize our own set plays to come back to again and again.
Modern Combat: Sandstorm

Seeing N.O.V.A. get the iPad treatment at Apple's event brought to mind Gameloft's previous iPhone first-person shooter hit, Modern Combat: Sandstorm. The modern-day, military shooter was one of the first of its kind to really take advantage of the iPhone hardware and work within its limitations, and we'd love to see it enhanced for the iPad. As with N.O.V.A, we'd want to see customizable controls, expanded multi-touch maneuvers, and hopefully some glossed-up visuals to boot.
Orbital

Orbital is a perfect fit for the iPhone, but we'd love to see a super-sized iteration on the iPad, taking advantage of the larger screen to produce blinding visual effects and grander challenges. In this addictive original game, you launch balls onto the game screen, which then expand and need to be hit a certain number of times to be cleared. On the iPad screen, there'd be a greater disparity in size between the larger and smaller balls, letting you sneak more on the screen or suffer greatly when a poorly placed orb takes up several inches on the display.
Pac-Man Championship Edition

The iPhone version of Pac-Man Championship Edition is a pretty admirable translation of the Xbox Live Arcade original (aside from making you buy various modes individually), but even with multiple virtual D-pad/joystick options, finding one that's consistently response can be a struggle. With the larger screen real estate of the iPad, Namco Bandai could put larger virtual consoles below the game screen, giving players better control over the titular gaming icon. And please, just bundle the entire game as one purchase.
Peggle

Screwing up Peggle seems impossible -- even the relatively mediocre iPod Classic port entertained us for hours before the excellent iPhone version came around, and we certainly wouldn't be able to resist an updated version designed to take advantage of the super-sized iPad screen. Moreover, we'd love to see the Fire button set further apart from the game screen, as we can recall too many occasions where we lined up a perfect shot and then wrecked our aim by accidentally tapping to the left of the icon. We'd happily take some Wi-Fi/Bluetooth multiplayer options, as well!
Resident Evil 4: Mobile Edition

We certainly didn't foresee an iPhone iteration of Resident Evil 4, but against the odds, it ended up being a pretty functional port of the awesome console original. With the launch of the iPad comes the opportunity to make it great: bump up the textures and frame rate, make the user interface customizable, and take advantage of the larger average internal storage to pump in more of the cinematic tension that made the original version so great. We didn't ask for the iPhone version, but now that we have it, we're demanding a proper iPad upgrade.
Rock Band

With the iPad's larger screen and enhanced multi-touch capabilities of the device, perhaps an enhanced version of Rock Band could hue closer to the series' multiplayer roots, letting multiple players jam together on a single screen. Four is probably too much to ask, but splitting the screen in half and letting a couple buddies rock out in tandem sounds like a blast, and with the larger internal storage of the 64GB model, perhaps we'll see an even larger push by EA to release frequent downloadable add-on tracks.
Scene It? Movies

Scene It? Movies works well on iPhone as a single-player trivia game, but an iPad entry could function more like the multiplayer party experience the franchise was built upon. Imagine putting your iPad on the coffee table as a central hub, with multiple players able to reach over and tap in when they have the answer. Add in higher-resolution video clips, and you've got an appealing substitute for the DVD-based board game and console video game versions.
Skee-Ball

We're stone cold Skee-Ball junkies; bring us to a carnival (or Chuck-e-Cheese) and we'll be whirling wooden balls within seconds. While the iPhone version is a solid diversion, the stock throw animations have us pining for more. We'd love to see an iPad version that takes advantage of the larger, enhanced multi-touch display to bulk up the physics system and give us more control over the throws. It'll never replace the real thing (unless the iPad can dispense little colored tickets), but it could be a fun little gem.
Space Invaders Infinity Gene

Taito's reboot of the arcade classic mixes the familiar alien-blasting gameplay with influences from the bullet hell shooters that followed it, and we're craving an iPad version if only to see the trippy visuals on a larger screen. But there'd be an added bonus, as well -- since the game can create custom stages based on the music in your library, those with the 32GB and 64GB iPad models will be able to store much more music than an iPhone, giving your play sessions more variety than ever before.
Tap Tap Revenge

Rock Band has stolen a bit of Revenge's thunder on the App Store, but as the various Tap Tap iterations have proven, it's still the champ when it comes to creating an authentic and compelling experience for hardcore fans. With themed skins and song packs for many of the top rock and pop artists today, it's a perfect fit for the iPad, as the glossy aesthetic will draw in the same kinds of fans who will shell out for an iTunes LP.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour

As surprisingly solid and functional as Tiger's debut was on iPhone, we can pinpoint numerous areas in which we'd love to see an iPad iteration improve upon. Visually, the game could benefit from the iPad's larger screen and enhanced processor, with better golfer models and course details, and we'd love to see a more robust and customizable user interface with a more nuanced swing mechanic. We'd expect a new entry rather than an update, but either way, we're pumped for what could be a pretty fantastic game of golf on the iPad.