Travel Timekillers: The Best Apps for Your Airplane Downtime
The landing gear is up, your seat back is lowered and you are 10 minutes into your 18-hour flight. What to do with your mandatory reprieve from cell phone calls and text messages? Here are 7 downloadable games to keep you occupied until you touch down in paradise.
EPIC TIMEKILLERS:
GTA Chinatown Wars – Avenge your father’s death and regain honor for your Triad in this portable version of Grand Theft Auto. Fluid controls and top-notch visuals make this a premier portable title. Hours of gameplay will keep you occupied as you follow the story of violence and honor.
GTA Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games) – Available for iPhone/iPad, Nintendo DS, PSP. The iPhone version is $4.99.
Plants vs Zombies – This take on the tower defense genre has you defending your home from a zombie invasion, using plants. From peapod shooters to walnut blockades, you can utilize a variety of plants to keep the brain eaters at bay. You’ll enjoy tons of gameplay with a plethora of mini-games and goofy challenges.
Plants vs Zombies (PopCap Games) – Available for iPhone/iPad, Nintendo DS, PSP, and more. The iPhone version is $2.99.
BRAIN TEASERS:
Bookworm – Bookworm is a spelling puzzler game that will keep your mind fresh while providing hours of fun. Letter tiles fall from the top of the screen to the bottom as you use them to form words. The longer the words the more points you get. Bookworm has tons of replayability as you try to top your high score and match words in a variety of themed “books.”
Bookworm (PopCap Games) – Available for almost every mobile platform. iPhone version is $2.99.
Sudoku 2 – This is a fresh implementation of the classic number logic game Sudoku. Sudoku 2 is ad-based and free, or you can upgrade to Sudoku 2 Pro which is an ad-free version that includes themes and horizontal play modes.
Sudoku 2 (Finger Arts) – Available free for iPad/iPhone. Sudoku 2 Pro is $2.99.
RELAXATION:
Zen Bound 2 – Work that stress off with this calming puzzler. The concept is simple: Zen Bound is a physics puzzler where the goal is to paint a wooden figure of an animal using a rope. The low-key game play, fantastic graphics and serene music wash away the tension. Watch the Zen Bound 2 trailer here to get a sense of the game’s amazing graphics and sound.
Zen Bound 2 (Secret Exit Ltd.) – Available for iPad/iPhone, Android, Steam, $2.99.
Ignite – This unique platformer isn’t a well-known app, but it is a great addition to the genre. You are a ball of fire, jumping from platform to platform to complete levels. This simple concept is made more compelling as the platforms burn from under you causing you to pick up the pace to win the game. With a great art style and addictive gameplay this is an underdog hit—our sleeper keeper choice of the bunch.
Ignite (Monster Gila) – iPhone, $1.99
