The best free iPhone games - part 2 (2009)

It’s getting harder every day for developers to get their App Store stuff noticed, what with around 40,000 applications and games now available for the iPhone.

Many have come to realise that free games can deliver a great publicity turnaround, even if they don’t necessarily deliver on straightforward profits. By handing out a few freebies, a developer gets himself known and endears himself to the gamer in a way that’s not so easily achieved by a paid game or even a Lite version.

Experiments have been made with price reductions to climb the paid charts, but that doesn’t mean the free charts should be overlooked either. A lot of games are going free as an incentive to take a look at the studio’s new title, making the top free apps list a place where the developer and the gamer come together for the sheer love of the platform.

The best free iPhone games - part 2

It’s probably not what Apple had in mind from the outset, but as it turns out the iPhone is ideally suited to pinball simulators. There are quite a lot of them available, and they incorporate a plethora of different themes, but very few of them come for the same price as a free ball. Which is free.

Anyway, Wild West Pinball started life as a paid app, so the quality of play is definitely there. The 3D graphics, slick 40 fps animation and realistic ball physics are as top notch as any paid pinball game, making this your first port of call before shelling out for a go with the virtual flippers.

A big part of pocket gaming appeal is its unique time wasting qualities - particularly when you’re at work. Slacking off and loafing about are what we excel at, and a game like Paper Toss feeds directly into the essential gamer mentality.

Everyone who’s ever spent a few hours a day in an office, factory or workshop will appreciate the effort that goes into unique and entertaining games fashioned from the work environment, and this is a particularly special office-based assault course.

The electric fans and increasing distance from the waste paper bin offer up a challenge worthy of the most blue collared office wallah, so put it in your in-tray now.

This is just nasty, but it could also be pretty hilarious to play in the pub. To play on your iPhone that is - not in real life.

The game simulates a drunken visit to the little boy’s room as you knock down increasingly large alcoholic beverages, then compete against the rest of the world’s virtual drunks to accurately hit the bowl as your balance begins to fail.

You’re encouraged to hold your iPhone against your hips to really test your inebriated aim, and the game allows you to upload your scores to the world wide leaderboard.

No, this isn’t related to the increasingly tedious US big budget TV series. It’s actually possible to follow what’s going on in this free iPhone MMORPG.

You begin as the mild-mannered alter ego attempting to get onto the circuit as an amateur crime fighter, and steadily gain hero cred for yourself and your team as you complete quests, rescue the innocent and thwart the dastardly plans of your nemeses.

These role-playing online games are becoming increasingly popular on the iPhone, and Heroes boasts a superb theme packed with motivation and comic book style, as well as throwing in leaderboards and a robust social network.

This game has seen over five and a half million downloads, so to be honest, who are we to say whether your should or shouldn’t give it a try - chances are it’s already on your iPhone.

But just in case the virtual puck has slid by your games paddle, we’ll take a quick look. Running at around 60 frames per second this is a super smooth representation of the popular arcade sport, with the added benefit that you seldom get your knuckles wrapped by a piece of fast moving plastic.

It also features wi-fi multiplayer, and although ads pop up after a few minutes of play, it’s worth it for such a slick game.

So there we have it - plenty of iFree apps to keep you going until the Lite fades.

If you're looking for a few Lite games, by the way, you should go and take a look at the Lite Games section on the Pocket Gamer forums, where you can hear about and discuss iPhone demos directly with the developers.

While you're there, you might as well check out the Updates section, too, to learn about what's coming to improve your current iPhone games catalogue.