The average family Christmas is rife with opportunities for impromptu mobile gaming sessions. The queen's speech, the long delay between dinner courses, everyone else opening their presents, the traditional late-afternoon game of charades/Pictionary/Kerplunk... Whatever's going on you can sneak in many minutes of gameplay if you're sneaky enough.
To provide you with furtive gaming ammunition, here are the ten best titles of the season, selected especially for Gamesblog by veteran mobile journo, Stuart Dredge, from over at PocketGamer...
Brothers In Arms: Hour of Heroes (iPhone)
"Apple has been banging on recently about iPhone and iPod Touch taking on DS and PSP in a new handheld gaming war. Gameloft is doing its best to provide evidence, particularly with this 3D military action game. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but it's proof that iPhone can handle this kind of immersive action title."
Snowboard Hero (Java)
"You might not think your phone can do an SSX-style snowboarding game justice, but Snowboard Hero will change your mind. Fresh from German 3D whizzes Fishlabs, it looks fantastic, but also has the depth and progression you'd expect from this genre on console."
ONE (N-Gage)
"It's been a long time coming, but ONE is truly a showcase game for what Nokia's N-Gage handsets are capable of. It's a beautiful-looking 3D beat-'em-up which walks the tightrope between offering combo-led depth, and working well on a mobile keypad. Plus there's online play – admittedly better if you're on a Wi-Fi connection."
Tap Tap Dance (iPhone)
"Tap Tap Revolution is one of the most popular free games for iPhone, but this premium spin-off adds new features, OpenGL-powered visuals, and a bunch of licensed tracks from the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx and (ahem) Moby. It's great, plus there's a separate version coming out with Weezer performing Christmas carols."
Rollercoaster Rush: 99 Tracks (Java)
"Digital Chocolate still makes some of the most addictive casual mobile games around, and Rollercoaster Rush: 99 Tracks updates one of their previous hits. You're still driving a rollercoaster using just two buttons (speed up and slow down), but there are more tracks and more coasters to play with."
Aurora Feint II: The Arena (iPhone)
"If you're interested in where iPhone gaming is going in 2009, you must pick up this innovative game. It's a match-three puzzler with RPG elements like spells and levelling up. Sounds like Puzzle Quest, right? Except the big deal is the asynchronous multiplayer mode, where you upload ghost fighters and battle it out with others."
Deal Or No Deal 2008 (Java)
"A branded game based on a TV game show? No, wait! This one's actually great, not least because besides the regular box-opening fun, it's got a mode where you get to play The Banker, trying to do contestants out of as much cash as possible. One for obsessive fans only, maybe, but still an innovative approach to a branded mobile game."
Guitar Rock Tour (iPhone)
"One look at this game will tell you its influence – Guitar Hero. You're tapping the screen in time to falling notes while a band wigs out – Activision must be steaming mad that their game hasn't yet made it to iPhone. The only downside to this is that the songs are soundalike cover versions, not the originals."
Tomb Raider Underworld (Java)
"Getting the average mobile to run a fully 3D free-roaming Tomb Raider game is still a stretch, so the mobile version of TRU restricts your movement, while keeping the visuals suitably flashy. Still, it's a slick adventure that'll keep Lara fans happy."
Toy Bot Diaries Entry 2 (iPhone)
"The most interesting iPhone developers are investigating how games controlled by touch and tilt can forge their own path. IUGO is one of them, and Toy Bot Diaries Entry 2 follows the standards set down by its predecessor – cute robot + fiendish platform puzzles = inventive and imaginative fun. Even if it is bastard hard."
