The Most Addictive Apps of 2010
Apple recently released its top iPhone and iPad apps of 2010, and while the iPad charts were ruled by productivity and media consumption apps, iPhone users apparently like to have a little more fun. The iPhone charts were dominated by games, games, and more games — everything from Angry Birds to Doodle Jump to Bejeweled 2 – Blitz.
Here’s our 2010 list of iPhone games you won’t be able to put down. Download at your own risk!
Angry Birds
Developer: Rovio Mobile
Price: $0.99
Free Version: Angry Birds Lite
It’s a good thing for Rovio Mobile that those little green pigs started craving omelettes, because Angry Birds was the top-selling iPhone app of 2010. This physics-based game features (angry) birds slingshotting themselves at their egg-stealing enemies’ makeshift defenses.
Doodle Jump
Developer: Lima Sky
Price: $0.99
Free Version: N/A
Despite being kicked from the top of the charts by Angry Birds, this upward platform game continues to be an addictive favorite. Cute, scribbled graphics, a simple premise (don’t die), and continuously updated material keep players coming back to see how high they can “jump.” This year even featured a special level for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Plants vs. Zombies
Developer: PopCap Games
Price: $2.99
Tower defense has never been so cute! If a zombie takeover ever happens, it’s sure to start in your backyard — so now’s your chance to protect the (literal) home front by effectively placing killer defense plants.
Cut the Rope
Developer: Chillingo Ltd.
Price: $0.99
Free Version: Cut the Rope: Holiday Gift; Cut the Rope Lite
Another simple, well-executed physics game, Cut the Rope features an adorable dinosaur-frog-hybrid that only eats candy. Your job is to get the candy to the frog using the laws of physics and some serious timing skills, by “cutting” the rope(s) with your finger at just the right moments.
Fruit Ninja
Developer: Halfbrick Studios
Price: $0.99
If food preparation were this fun in real life, your kids would be all about helping you fix dinner. Fruit Ninja is a simple yet strangely addictive app. Sure, all you’re doing is slicing fruit — but you’re doing it ninja-style. And, seriously, who doesn’t want to be a ninja battling kiwis and bananas?
Paper Toss
Developer: Backflip Studios
Price: $0.99
Free Version: Paper Toss (ad-supported)
Another app with an incredibly simple premise: tossing paper into a trashcan. If you used to do this at work and got in trouble, well, now you can do it on your iPhone (for free!) and get in trouble. Excellent.
FarmVille/We City/Restaurant Story
Developer: Zynga/ngmoco/Team Lava
Games like FarmVille, We City, and Restaurant Story have “addiction” built into them — you’re expected to cultivate crops (factories, meals) on your real time. This means you have to check into the game routinely to ensure your farm (city, restaurant) is running smoothly. Plus, you don’t know what addiction is until you’re driving down the highway at 75 mph and trying to harvest crops.
Bejeweled 2 + Blitz
Developer: PopCap Games, Inc.
Price: $0.99
Free Version: N/A
If you’re a fan of match-3 games (or if you’ve ever even heard of them), Bejeweled needs no introduction. Bejeweled 2 + Blitz features the favorite match-3 game plus a “blitz” version (hence the name), in which players have just one minute to score as high as they can using various score multipliers and new gems. For some reason, games that take just around a minute or two to play are just that much more addictive.
Robot Unicorn Attack
Developer: [adult swim]
Price: $1.99
Free Version: N/A
Rainbows, sparkles, fluffy clouds, and a cyborg unicorn combine in this whimsical (read: psychadelic) platform game to make a seriously addictive app. Robot Unicorn Attack first appeared as a flash game on [adult swim] and quickly gained an intense cult following. It’s not hard to see why, either — the game is fast-paced, challenging, and easy to pick up and play whenever you have a spare moment.
Tap Tap Revenge 3
Developer: Tapulous, Inc.
Price: Free
When Guitar Hero and Rock Band swept the nation into a musical frenzy, the folks at Tapulous took note. Tap Tap Revenge 3 is not only an awesome, tap-rhythm Guitar Hero for the iPhone, but it’s continuously updated with new song packs. While the new songs are nominally priced in-app purchases, the initial game (with more than 100 songs) is free.
Word Scramble
Developer: Zynga
Price: Free
Zynga’s Word Scramble is virtual boggle at its finest. The key to it being an addictive app, however, is its challenge feature — challenging your iPhone and Facebook friends to a word-off is both exciting and will give you some vocab-genius cred. The downside, of course, is that if you play this game enough you’ll be rearranging every word you see.
The Moron Test
Developer: DistinctDev
Price: $0.99
Free Version: The Moron Test: Section 1
Everyone loves brain-teasers (and laughing at people who don’t get them), and the Moron Test is just that — a brain-teasing puzzle “quiz.” If you answer too many questions incorrectly, you have to start back at the beginning — not that this is a big deal, as there is absolutely no variation in the “test.” So yeah, if you’re still failing those first few questions, then maybe you really are a moron.
Words With Friends
Developer: Newtoy Inc.
Price: $2.99
Free Version: Words With Friends Free (ad-supported)
Let’s face it: people play scrabble so they can show off their smarts. Well, Words With Friends lets you do just that. This turn-based Scrabble game allows you to have multiple games going on at once, so you’re sure to win at least one (game and bragging rights).
Ragdoll Blaster
Developer: Backflip Studios
Price: $0.99
Free Version: N/A
Despite what the haters may say, iPhone users are a pretty smart crowd. If they weren’t, why would they be so into physics games? ‘Nuff said. Ragdoll Blaster is a physics game in which players try to hit targets with — you guessed it — ragdolls.
Traffic Rush
Developer: Donut Games
Price: $0.99
Free Version: N/A
The last game on our list is, as you might expect, yet another game that can be picked up and played in minutes and then set down (or, well, theoretically it can be set down — if only it wasn’t so addictive!). Traffic Rush is very simple: flick and tap cars across the screen in order to keep an (increasingly busy) intersection crash-free. Of course, like all addictive games, this is much easier said than done.