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My 10 best games of the past 10 years - Matt Diener

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iOS + Android + 3DS ...
My 10 best games of the past 10 years - Matt Diener

'The Token American' condenses a decade of mobile play into the absolute essentials

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As part of the 'PG 10th anniversary' fun this March, we've blackmailed former PG members into giving us a quick rundown of their favourite ten games of the past ten years. (We've also asked them to relive their PG moments, Matt included.)

They've not been asked to rank these so don't take the order below as set in stone. Rather, think of these games as a collection of digital experiences that will enrich your life, taking you to a place you didn't think you'd ever get to.

Alternatively, you could look through the list and mock their choices.

Create your own list

If you do disagree, here's the magic bit: you can give us your list.

See the 'Create your own Top List' button at the bottom of the article? It's not a trick. Click on that button and the rest should prove relatively straightforward.

You'll need to be registered with PG (and logged in) if you aren't yet.

(You can also create lists from within your Pocket Gamer user profile, at the bottom of the 'Logged in as [x]' dropdown menu.)

You can list your all-time favourite portable games, your favourite endless runners, shooters, candy-covered-pony-featuring titles, or even your favourite game making studios.

We all love lists. Share your thoughts and you can soon see your selection on the PG site.


What's all this, then?

The Pocket Gamer 10th anniversary is a month-long celebration of the last decade of mobile games running March 10th - April 10th and featuring a stream of retrospective articles and fun stuff, supported by our friends at Gram Games, Gamevil, JoyCity, Rovio, Nordeus, and Ninja Kiwi. Head over to the PG 10th anniversary homepage for more information.
Click Here To View The List »

1
Angry Birds

Developer: Rovio
Publisher: Rovio
Available on: iOS + Android + Blackberry + Ovi + PSP + Windows Phone
Genre: Action, Casual, Puzzle
Find out more about Angry Birds
Angry Birds

Like The Beatles, tail fins on muscle cars, or a carefully groomed handlebar mustache, it's a classic for a reason. Love or lump the spinoffs that followed, the original almost single-handedly legitimized mobile as a popular gaming platform.

2
The Room

Developer: Fireproof Games
Publisher: Fireproof Studios
Available on: iOS + Android + Steam
Genre: Puzzle
Find out more about The Room
The Room

A brilliant puzzle game that really couldn't exist on another platform (at the time - it'd be brilliant in VR!). Fireproof took a fun, casual platform and really showed what it was capable of.

3
Chaos Rings

Developer: Media.Vision
Publisher: Square Enix
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: RPG
Find out more about Chaos Rings
Chaos Rings

Square Enix recognized mobile gaming as a thing way back in the clickwheel days of iPods, so it should come as no surprise that they'd release the absolute best, original turn-based JRPG that they the platform's seen to date.

4
Flight!

Developer: Armor Games
Available on: iOS
Genre: Action, Casual
Find out more about Flight!
Flight!

This is a weird one. It's a simple 'endless' style game staring a paper airplane, but it tells a beautiful, heartfelt story along the way. Definitely a b-side, but one I'd recommend to anyone.

5
Hearthstone

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Card battler, RPG, Strategy
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Does it work better on PC? Maybe. But Blizzard did a terrific job emulating the tactile experience of placing cards on the board and did some truly remarkable things with the UI to make it workable on an iPhone's smaller screen.

6
Miku Flick /02

Publisher: Sega Mobile
Available on: iOS
Genre: Music/Rhythm
Find out more about Miku Flick /02
Miku Flick /02

The Project Diva line of rhythm games rank among the best available on whatever platform they appear on, and Miku Flick's sharp graphics, bright tunes, and fun challenge make it an essential purchase for rhythm game junkies on the go.

7
Year Walk

Developer: Simogo
Publisher: Simogo
Available on: iOS + Steam
Genre: Adventure
Find out more about Year Walk
Year Walk

I played this one during a particularly snowy February weekend in New Jersey and wound up sleeping with every light in the house on thanks to Simogo.

8
Lili

Developer: BitMonster Games
Publisher: BitMonster Games
Available on: iOS
Genre: Adventure, RPG
Find out more about Lili
Lili

Maybe it was the excellently crafted game world full puzzle, or maybe it was because the gameplay was almost completely lacking in overt violence, but Bitmonster's oddball RPG stayed with me over the years.

9
Final Fantasy VI (mobile)

Publisher: Square Enix
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Adventure, Retro, RPG
Final Fantasy VI (iOS & Android)

I said it in my review and I'll say it again here: I have a giant tattoo of the FF6 logo on my body, I've played through the game (now) 12 times across 5 different platforms, and the mobile port is the best version available to date. Do I miss the old 16-bit sprites? Sure. But the improvements to game mechanics and timeless story make it a must-play experience.

10
Lara Croft GO

Publisher: Square Enix Montreal
Available on: iOS + Android
Genre: Puzzle
Find out more about Lara Croft GO
Lara Croft GO

I'm not a huge Tomb Raider fan, so I didn't think this would appeal to me. How wrong I was! The puzzle gameplay is some of the best you'll find in mobile gaming and it succeeds in feeling like a Tomb Raider game despite being a complete new experience.

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Joao Diniz Sanches
Joao Diniz Sanches
With three boys under the age of 10, former Edge editor Joao has given up his dream of making it to F1 and instead spends his time being shot at with Nerf darts. When in work mode, he looks after editorial projects associated with the Pocket Gamer and Steel Media brands.