The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

We had such a great response to our Six iPhone Games still worth playing that we decided to do a follow up. In this post, I'm going to tell you about 5 new iPhone games that are new, and look very promising.

Trivial ($4.99 each)
If you are a fan of trivia then you will love Trivial [iTunes link]. Trivial is interesting because it is not just one application -- it is actually a collection of six iPhone applications that together create a set of trivia games. There's an app for History, Movies, Pop Culture, Sciences, Sports, and Technology. Each Trivial app includes thousands of different questions that will tax your brain into thinking of the correct answer.

Trivial includes two great ways of playing the game: single player, or networked. In single player mode, you are able to choose between four different game types: Endless, Endurance, 100 Questions, and Timeless. Endless keeps throwing questions at you until you can't handle it any longer. Endurance will test your knowledge and reaction time by allowing you to answer questions until you get one wrong -- when you get one right, the scoring is based on how quickly you answered. 100 Questions allows you to answer a hundred questions in a row to see how many you get right. Timeless gives you the same great Trivial game without having to worry about the clock ticking. There is even an online score board that allows you to post your scores and compete against other Trivial players.

Playing a game of Trivial over the network is absolutely amazing. Handshake (an app by the same company) is the technology that powers Trivial's networked play feature. When you tap "Multiplayer" you have the ability to either host a new game or join a game that someone else set up. In addition, you can play against the computer. Joining a game is as simple as being in the same vicinity as the person you're playing against (the app uses Core Location to find your location using GPS/Cell Triangulation) or typing in someone's handle. You can easily choose any name you want under the "Settings."

In addition to all this, the application also includes several Pixel-licious themes to choose from (my favorite is Corkboard and Electronic Glow). The music in the game is also just too cool ... the pace of the music will change based on the difficulty of the question. If Trivia is your thing, this is a must-have. You can check out Trivial on the iTunes App Store -- each version is available for $4.99US each. My personal favorite versions is Trivial Science and Trivial Technology.




I Love Virus ($1.99)
I Love Virus: no really, I do. No, not those new Mac trojans, but the new iPhone game. The premise of the game is to follow a "young virus-in-training" as it makes its way through mazes and obstacles. The game is basically a cooler mixture of Dig Dug and Pac-Man.

As you move throughout the course you will receive different power-ups and abilities, some of which include the ability to eat enemies or speed up. There are over 30 different levels, each with their own styling. There are also three game modes (selectable in the settings): Regular, Clones Everywhere!, and Enemies Can Use Speed Power-ups -- each of these different types of game play can drastically change the the game.

You move the virus around by sliding your finger up/down/left/right to move throughout the maze. Since reviewing, an update has been issued to the App Store to allow the virus to move faster, it can also expand and contract when the virus accepts input. There is also better artwork. You can check out I Love Virus in the iTunes App Store for just $1.99US -- and that price will buy you several hours of gameplay.




Continue reading for more iPhone games worth checking out.