Pocket Gamer 10th Anniversary - Are the best of the best still the best?

When it comes down to it, there have been some pretty incredible mobile games released over the past ten years.

And, while we don't like to brag, we've been there to see them, judge them, and tell them you need to get them.

But how do they stand up now? Have any of them lost the shiny lustre that made them so alluring in the first place, or are they still every bit as playable now as they were in the dim and distant past?

There are all interesting questions, and we decided we should probably answer them, since we don't really have anything more pressing to do.

So we've picked some of our favourites from the last decade and given them the once over. Or, more accurately, the twice over. What are the results?

Which games are still worth playing even after all this time? Read on to find out.

Oh, and if you've got an older game you couldn't bear to delete from your iPhone, let us know in the comments below. We won't judge you, we promise.

Angry Birds

One of the games that really kickstarted the mobile gaming revolution, Angry Birds is that perfect blend of tactility, simplicity, and playability.

If you've not poked it before, it's all about catapulting the titular avians into rickety structures infested with pigs. Knock down the structures, pop the pigs, and move on to the next level.

But does it still stand up to scrutiny in these more modern times? Well, yes and no.

Yes, it's still one of the best games you can play on your mobile device. I mean, seriously, this thing became a phenomenon for good reason.

It's addictive, it's super fun to play, and it'll make you shout obscenities in crowded tube trains.

But where the game falls down is its presentation. It was built for older hardware, and it definitely shows. There's a clunkiness here that just isn't present in Rovio's more recent output.

Should you still download it: Yes, absolutely, although quite how you've got this far in life without playing it is completely beyond me. Clash of Clans

Another one of the biggies, a game cloned so often that it's sometimes difficult to say Clash of Clans out loud without adding "clone" at the end of it.

It kickstarted the social strategy genre, took the world by storm, and recently got its own spin off game with the fantastic Clash Royale. But how does it stand up?

Well, if anything, Clash of Clans proves that some mobile games have staying power. It's constantly updated, shifting around all the time, and consistently sits at the top of the revenue charts on the App Store.

And if you're a fan of the genre then you're going to love it. In fact, if you're a fan of the genre you're probably loving it right now.

There have been imitators, some pale, some pretty and shiny, but very few of them have managed to capture what makes CoC so compulsive.

Should you still download it: If you haven't yet, then give it a go. If you have, then I suspect it's already been on your mobile for a good long while. The Room

Ah The Room, a game I could wax lyrically about until the cows come home. And I don't have any cows, or a home really, so that means I could literally wax lyrically about it forever.

It's a tale of shifting boxes, strange elements, an manages to create a sense of unease that most Hollywood horrors. But after two sequels, does it still stand up to our sharply critical eyes?

Well, if anything, I think that maybe we were a little too harsh on The Room. And when I say we, I mean me. I don't regret much, but looking back at the game I'm pretty sure it deserved a Platinum Award.

And the two sequels, brilliant as they are, have made that stand out even clearer.

There's a wonderful precision to the original, and a focus that got a little muddied in later iterations. It's pretty much the perfect hardcore mobile game.

Should I download it: Yes. Oh my word yes. And its sequels. Seriously, just put down what you're doing. Unless what you're doing is playing The Room.

Anomaly: Warzone Earth

Another intriguing one from the past. Anomaly: Warzone Earth was the world's first glimpse of reverse tower defence. Tower offence, I guess.

It looked stunning, and in flipping the action around it made for an intriguing rebalancing.

Rather than trying to block incoming enemies, you're trundling along paths, trying to take out the towers that are getting in your way. But how does it stack up after a raft of sequels and a double-flip spin off?

Well, it still looks lovely, but the sequels have added some really interesting new mechanics that, while they're building on the foundations that the original laid down, make them even more fun to play.

Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot to like here, but if you've played the games that came after it in the series, it does feel a little bit old fashioned.

Should I download it: I'd say start with the second or third game in the series instead. They're as polished, but they add some brilliant new ideas. Flappy Bird

Oh God, remember when everyone went insane about Flappy Bird? And then everyone and their dog released a clone of it to try and suck up some of that fat advertising cash?

I do, because it wasn't all that long ago. And I'm going to be honest, I thought the game was awful.

It didn't really work, and the clones that it spawned were, if anything, even worse. And now?

Nope, it's still terrible. And difficult to get hold of. There have been sequels and new games from the creator but, well, they were pretty rubbish as well. Sorry.

As flashes in the pan go, Flappy Bird was one without style or substance. And it probably did more harm than good to the public's perception of mobile gaming.

Should I download it: You can't. But even if you could you shouldn't.