# Are there any Android games that don't suck? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 28, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058 "2012-03-28T16:45:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/1 "2012-03-28T16:45:01Z")
I bought a Toshiba Thrive tablet a month or so ago and I am in most ways satisfied with it. The game situation seems pretty bleak, though. I have the three Angry Birds games, but they are cursed with advertising and there are no paid versions to get away from it. I have Sims Free Play, but I’m not a giant Sims fan and it also has ads. I’ve lost track of the number of games I downloaded, tried, and deleted in the last few weeks. Can anybody recommend any games? I won’t even limit this to any particular genre. Are there any Android games that don’t suck right out of the gate or take what could be a good game (like Birds) and taint it with ads? ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/2 "2012-03-28T17:26:59Z")
I’m a fan of Androminion, a free implementation of the card game Dominion against AIs. The AI isn’t as strong as a good human player, but it’s certainly good to learn against. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/3 "2012-03-28T17:30:44Z")
Nearly all free games have ads. You have to pay to avoid them. You can, however, download Amazon’s Android store app. It gives one paid app away for free every day and sometimes it’s a game. I got Cut the Rope this way and I really find it fun. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/4 "2012-03-28T17:42:59Z")
Cut the Rope is really fun, but it isn’t free. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/5 "2012-03-28T17:53:42Z")
Paid vs. free isn’t a factor. I would buy the Angry Birds games if I had the option. I bought them for my iPod touch. The thing is that I haven’t seen any paid games that looked appealing. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/6 "2012-03-28T18:00:18Z")
Pretty sure you can buy the Adfree version of Angry Birds from the Amazon App Store (which is really the only thing that store is good for). ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/7 "2012-03-28T18:39:55Z")
I’ll have to check out the Amazon store. I’ve been using Toshiba’s Play Store which seems to be where apps go to suck. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/8 "2012-03-28T18:50:13Z")
I very much enjoyed [Quell](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fallentreegames.quell&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5mYWxsZW50cmVlZ2FtZXMucXVlbGwiXQ..) & [Quell Reflect](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fallentreegames.quellreflect&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5mYWxsZW50cmVlZ2FtZXMucXVlbGxyZWZsZWN0Il0.). No idea if you’ll like them but they’re both paid apps without ads. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/9 "2012-03-28T19:08:26Z")
Looking at what’s on my phone, _World of Goo_ is excellent. _Where’s My Water_ is equally good. _Adrenaline 6_ is an awesome arcade racer. Anything by Kairosoft is good, but they make a very specific type of game (old-school 2D sprite management/strategy) that you’ll love or hate. There’s always _Plants Vs Zombies_. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/10 "2012-03-28T19:41:20Z")
_Labyrith_ – actually I think the full name is _Reiner Knizia’s Labyrinth_ – is a fun little puzzle game. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/11 "2012-03-28T20:11:37Z")
The only game on my phone is Drop 7. It doesn’t hold my interest as much as it used to, but I find myself going back to it again and again. A simple yet challenging puzzler. I think Hardcore and Normal are probably misnamed as I find Hardcore much easier and less tedious than Normal. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/12 "2012-03-28T20:39:31Z")
Not sure if it’s available for the Thrive, but I’m playing _GTA III_ on my phone (a Samsung Galaxy S II). The controls take a while to get used to, but it’s great fun if you’ve played the original. Paid apps: _Sprinkle_ is an awesome water/physics game; _JetCarStunts_ is a very cool driving platformer; _X-Plane_ is amazing if you’re into hardcore flight sims; _Apparatus_ seems fun - just installed the free version, and it’s interesting so far, but you can get a paid version for a couple bucks. _Contract Killer_ (and its Zombies variant) is a free game that asks you to pay for powerups, but most of them you can eventually earn with judicious gameplay, same with _Six Guns_, a Red Dead clone (ETA: just noticed this is a Gameloft title, not Glu Mobile). In fact, most of the Glu Mobile games are free-to-play, pay-to-get-good, but offer a decent amount of entertainment without having to pay a dime. And if you hit a wall and don’t want to drop a few bucks, delete, and find a new one. And the new Angry Birds Space (free with ads) has a $.99 Premium version in Google Play (née Android Market). Not sure what it gives you, as I’m fine sitting through ads until I run out of gameplay. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/13 "2012-03-28T20:52:50Z")
_Shoot the Apple_ is probably my favorite puzzle game so far - the physics work pretty well, it’s not too hard, and while the free version has ads, the ads disappear while playing the actual game (and only show up on the menus). _Shoot Bubble Deluxe_ is another good game that has ads only on the menus, not the actual game. A couple levels are frustrating (and/or dependent on the luck of what color orb you start with) but you can skip 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/14 "2012-03-29T00:04:57Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Cut the Rope is really fun, but it isn’t free. It was for one day in Amazon’s store and that is when I bought it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/15 "2012-03-29T00:51:39Z")
You should check out the current [Humble Indie Bundle](http://www.humblebundle.com/), which has some decent games that you can pay whatever you want for. I purchased it but haven’t yet explored the current games very thoroughly, but I’ve played Cogs on PC and it’s a very good sliding-blocks puzzle game. It also has Swords and Soldiers, which I have on the Wii but there it was hampered by the controls. Haven’t tried it on a tablet yet. World of Goo is one of the best construction/puzzle games by far, and easily worth the price. I also got Anomaly Warzone Earth with the last Bundle, and it’s occupied much of my couch time for the past couple weeks. Basically, think “reverse tower defense”: you have to run your units past a gauntlet of towers. Other people really like Osmos, but I find it swinging between boring and frustratingly difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/16 "2012-03-29T02:05:04Z")
> [@HookerChemical](#): > > I’m a fan of Androminion, a free implementation of the card game Dominion against AIs. The AI isn’t as strong as a good human player, but it’s certainly good to learn against. Wow. I came in to post this as well. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/17 "2012-03-29T02:26:46Z")
_Ceramic Destroyer_ and _Super Stickman Golf_ are a couple fun physics games. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/18 "2012-03-29T02:36:49Z")
On my Galaxy SII I have enjoyed: Free: Pixel Rain (challenging physics game) Cheese Tower (ditto) Ninjump (ninja running up a tower, single-click control, fun for a while) Air Attack HD (really fun action bomber/shooter - limited levels) Grave Defense HD (zombie TD game) Draw Something Free (too famous for me to bother with a desc) Paid: Jelly Defense (best TD game I ever played) ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/19 "2012-03-29T02:53:21Z")
Try any of the \*Zenonia \*series if you’re a fan of SNES style rpg’s. ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058/20 "2012-03-29T03:07:45Z")
There’s ChessCom - the app for [Chess.com](http://Chess.com). You can play against other people, even if they’re playing from a computer or a different phone platform. Also Robotek - robot warfare slot machine sort of game, which actually has a lot more strategy than you think. I’m super addicted to it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-android-games-that-dont-suck/617058.md?page=2)