iPhone 5 Must Have Games!

The iPhone 5 is one of the top smartphones available, on the same tier as the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Driod Razr Max HD.  There is no denying its sexy design, incredible power, beautiful screen and plethora of applications (I should really work for Apple).  Here are some of the best and most popular games for your fabulous 'jewel' of a device (quoting Apple's explanation from the keynote).

Games
There are more and more games available for the iPhone seemingly everyday. Some are lousy, but many are extremely fun or educational and they all look gorgeous on the iPhone 5's Retina Display.  My favorites include:

Angry Birds Start Wars - This was JUST released and I can honestly say it was worth $0.99.  The game play is fun, of course, but what I really appreciate (and why I bought the game) is the Star Wars connection.  This game does a superb job of bringing in elements from the fan-fiction favorite into the Angry Birds universe. The music is great, there are birds for Obi Wan, Luke, Han, Chewbacca, etc. and they all have cool powers, like light-saber slashes, Force push or blaster shots.  The cut away scene are hilarious because the creators perfectly transformed iconic characters from the movies into Angry Birds equivalents.  A 'must buy.'

Temple Run - In the realm of free games, this has to be near the top of any list.  It's fast-paced, looks beautiful, provides a challenge and kills A LOT of time. What more can you ask? The game is so simple, just swipe left or right to follow the path or swipe up or down to jump over or slide under obstacles and go as far as you possibly can before dying.  

Mega Run - Another free game that looks great on the iPhone 5 and is extremely simple to play.  Just tap the screen to make the little red monster thingy jump and get him to the end of the obstacle course, collecting coins, power-ups and special gems on the way.  Addicting.

Words with Friends - If you want a social game that lets you brag to your friends about your intelligence, here's your game.  It's addicting and free, if you don't mind ads after playing every word.  And you can play your turn whenever you want, so there's no pressure and if you can't find a word to place on the rip-off Scrabble board, you can come back to it later. 

Extinction Squad - A free game designed by Adult Swim, the late night Cartoon Network programming.  I was skeptical at first, but after playing for a few hours, I fell in love.  You drag you finger back and forth across the screen to catch animals in your trampoline as they fall to their death. The story goes that the Dodo was released back into the wild after it's rediscovery, but it's scent was unfamiliar to the other animals, causing them to go crazy and jump off cliffs.  Oh, and you have to avoid bombs that fall from the sky.  (This is clearly a very logical game.)  Some animals require several bounces to land in the Jeep, others fall straight down or at odd angles.  And if you miss too many animals, the ground gets slippery with their blood and you loose. Slightly graphic, but very enjoyable. I also like the feature that let's you spin a wheel for more coins/upgrades where a Dodo is the arrow that stops the wheel.

Plague Inc. - If you want a strategy game that feels real, I mean frighteningly real, then get Plague Inc.  The basic idea is to kill every human being on the planet. You play a micro-organism such as bacteria, a virus, a parasite, nanobots, fungus, etc.  Each method of mass extermination has different strengths and weaknesses for infecting humans and as your disease spreads, you can add power-ups to make it spread quick, kill easier or survive better.  The key to victory is to infect everyone before the disease starts killing off large numbers of people, otherwise the world will unite around cure research and stop you micro-killer in its tracks.  You also have to be careful of geography. Some places are harder to infect than others because of extreme temperatures or lack of transportation (the disease spreads by airplanes, boats, and land).  A somewhat creepy, but extremely entertaining and thought-provoking game.

A note about Reading (random, I know, just go with it)
I'm not saying reading books is optimal on the iPhone 5. I am saying it's good enough to pass some time while traveling or at work.  I prefer iBooks to Kindle, but they are essential the same in every way EXCEPT that you cannot search or download books directly from you Kindle app. You have to buy them through your computer. iBooks allows you to search and buy books instantly to your phone from your phone.  It's an overall pleasant experience. I found myself reading several chapters of 'Songs of Ice and Fire' Book 4 on my iPhone and finishing the book accidentally. On to Book 5!!!!!!!!!!