I thought it might be neat to list a few of the games I've loaded up on my iPad. I haven't given up console games by any means, but sometimes a different sort of game will show up on iOS that I'll try out for a while. Most of the things I've found are the "play for a few minutes" type of game rather than "spend an hour or two" type of game. Except for Dead Space, I guess. That one encouraged longer play sessions like the console game. Unlike the console game though, the controls were frequently frustrating. I'm glad I played it though, especially since I happened to catch it on sale.
Tiny Wings, Fruit Ninja, Current, Simon Says, (couldn't find links), and Bumpy Road all sort of operate on the same concept of "play from the same beginning point and try to see how far you can make it." The better you do, the higher you score and the longer a play session lasts. There are no checkpoints for levels, really. This sort of game is unusual for me coming from the console space, where games haven't done this since the NES days. But it can be a refreshing change if you're expecting it. These three have great art style and sound design, just don't expect to be entertained for more than a few minutes at a time.
Words With Friends is unique in that it's the only one I play with other people. Even if it's asynchronous. It's really a perfect concept for a mobile game. I just wish it didn't make me feel so dumb sometimes.
Lastly, The Final Hours (of Portal 2) isn't a game, but rather an interactive article about a game. I loved Portal, so I got a kick out of this. It's also neat to see what's possible with this new medium of an internet enabled device that you're actually touching. The Wired.com app similarly lets you see a somewhat interactive magazine issue. Some of it is gimicky, some is neat, but it's interesting to see what designers do when they can actually can make the moving pictures newspaper that you see in Sci Fi all the time. Welcome to the future.
