I game…a lot, maybe TOO much sometimes. I game on the PC, on my phone, on the tabletop, on my tablet, and even occasionally, on consoles (usually when a title entices me). Each device satisfies a different entertainment need. In particular, I find gaming on the phone to be especially useful for when I need to kill some time while waiting somewhere, relaxing entertainment, or I don’t have a lot of time to get into something more complex. Be forewarned though, mobile games can be just as addicting as their full blown counterparts. On to the games!

Pretty & powerful!
Pretty & powerful!
My CURRENT phone is the Nokia Lumia 920 (in red!) running Windows Phone 8. Contrary to what the critics would have you believe, there are a lot of great games to play on it. Since I use this device as more of a timekiller with respect to gaming, I install only free games.

Here’s what’s playing now:

Beeeep!
Beeeep!
AE 3D Motor – SUPER quick game in most cases, well, at least according to my motorcycle driving skills. The sound effect of the gear change is neverending, prompting a friend sitting next to me to ask if I had hit the 1000th gear yet. Hilarious crash at the end reminds me that I should leave my motorcycle riding career to the virtual kind. I give this a 3/5.

Hiiiiyaah!
Hiiiiyaah!
AE Fruit Slash – Let out your inner chef with this fruit slashing game. Slash fruit before it hits the scale (10 pounds and you BUST), while avoiding slashing and setting off dynamite (KABOOM!). Quick hand eye coordination and reactions required. I love it when I make the tricky combos. I give this a 3/5.

Counting down...
Counting down…
AE Jewels – Do you like Bejeweled? I do! There’s something about the timer counting down, and the escalating challenge to find 3 matching jewels vertically or horizontally while trying to beat your last high score. Various “powerups” help keep you alive and boost your score higher. There are other gameplay modes, like Timerush, but I go for the standard Action mode again and again and again. I probably play this game the most out of all the games currently installed on my phone. It’s quite addicting. So, I give this a 5/5.

Zombie gauntlet!
Zombie gauntlet!
AE Zombie Defender – To prepare for the zombie apocalypse, you are going to need to develop weaponry that will protect your home base, but that’s only part of what you need to know. In Zombie Defender, you’ll use your high-tech weaponry to create zombie gauntlets to annihilate the hordes of undead infiltrating your base. Die, zombies, die! Challenging and satisfying. I give this a solid “Braaaaaaaains” 4/5.

Let me out!
Let me out!
Blocked In Free – When I play this game, I imagine that I’m a parking attendant who has seen an opportunity to make some extra money, has overparked the parking garage, and needs to get the car the furthest in (the red one), out. This is a really challenging puzzle game. I can feel my brain flexing, as I solve each of the puzzles. One down side, though, is that the game is a little snarky when I fail to solve the puzzle in the most efficient number of moves. Even still, I give this an intellectually stimulated 4/5.

Dooooooom!
Dooooooom!
Doom and Destiny – If you like Dungeons and Dragons, then you’ll like Doom and Destiny. It’s a tongue in cheek homage to D&D games. You control 4 characters (you choose one main character, then the other 3 follow that one) as you explore dungeons, defeat enemies, find treasure, and solve puzzles. As you progress, you level the skills of your party in their areas of specialty. Your party is made up of the traditional dungeon set: caster, healer, ranged, and melee. The controls are cleverly done for using the touch screen. The game (and story) doesn’t take itself too seriously. This isn’t a game that you are going to play when you only have a short time to kill though. Very fun. I give this game ALMOST a Natural 20 or 4.5/5.

Need a plumber?
Need a plumber?
Flow Free – Like Blocked In, in Flow Free, I imagine I’m a plumber that needs to connect the right pipes together without crossing/intersecting any of the other pipes. Simple neon colors and a pleasing water sound when you connect pipes adds to that imagery. And, similarly, I can feel my brain growing larger, as I solve each of the puzzles. I’m not gaming! I’m exercising my brain! No snarky feedback in this one, just positive reinforcement when you get it right. I also give this one an intellectually stimulated 4/5.

Feeling zen.
Feeling zen.
Mahjong – Mahjong is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players. Obviously, you don’t have 3 friends that want to hang around your tiny phone screen with you, so electronic versions of the game are typically Mahjong solitaire, where you match tiles until none are left. A solid, calming time killer. Nothing really sets it apart from other Mahjong solitaire games. I give this game a 3/5.

Run, ragdoll, run!
Run, ragdoll, run!
Ragdoll Run – Love, love, LOVE this game! It has cute ragdolls, catchy music, challenging gameplay, simple and attractive graphics, and FUN! But…I really couldn’t suck at this game more. Try as I may, I can’t master racing my ragdolls through the course, nabbing jewels, coins, and powerups, while avoiding traps, obstacles, and pits. Never fear, I don’t let this keep me from trying though. I give this game a 5/5.

A, B, or C?
A, B, or C?
Zombie High Vol 1 – Miss those choose your own adventure books AND like zombies? Then Zombie High Vol 1 is for you. It combines both genres, and it’s up to you whether Jane Valentine becomes the most popular zombie fighter in school or is left to wander the halls a nasty fecto (slang for infected). The game’s appeal rests highly on the story and choices you are given. Interesting, but the storyline and objectives are definitely geared to a younger audience, and there is very little visual interest. I enjoy it for the nostalgia more than anything else. I give this game a 2.5/5.

Pop!
Pop!
Zulu Star – Zulu Star, like the browser based game Zuma, is a bubble shooting game with an Aztec feel. Match 3 bubbles of the same color to pop them before the line of bubbles swirls down the hole at the end of the track. Various powerups help you along the way. The touch screen makes bubble popping slightly inaccurate and annoying, but you soon learn to compensate. Maddening and addictive, but fast-paced and easy to play in a small amount of time. I give this game a 4/5.

There are a LOT of free games out there for your mobile device. Don’t let the ads discourage you. Get your game ON!

What I’m Playing on my Nokia Lumia 920