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iPhone Games for the iPad

These are the apps we think will work great on the iPad's 9.7-inch touch screen.

February 8, 2010

Let's face facts: The iPad is not simply a plus-sized iPod Touch. To run your existing apps, the iPad will either display them at original size in a tiny window or it will scale them up at "2x" resolution to fill the 9.7-in. screen. Neither is certain to make App Store games intrinsically bigger, better experiences. Some apps are still best kept in your pocket.

But a 9.7-in. touch screen is also much more than a few extra inches. It's a qualitatively new way of handling, seeing and playing games - a new medium. These are the games I think will change noticeably on the iPad.

 

Credit: Ville Makynen

Soosiz

"Super Mario Galaxy in two dimensions" sounds ho-hum in concept. But the case for Soosiz will grow accordingly on the iPad, where its cosmic, topsy-turvy world could either open the eyes of non-believers, or simply make their stomachs churn. $2.99

Credit: Electronic Arts

Auditorium

Though it's already playable on the web, the touch-enabled version of Auditorium is both more intuitive and more affecting. Still, something is missing from the iPhone's pocket-sized screen -- the colors aren't quite brilliant, the waves too small and thin to truly conduct. $2.99

Credit: Jormy Pty Ltd

Space Ninja

One of the more underrated games in the App Store, Space Ninja builds and builds obsessively on the simple mechanic of dodging energy bullets. The iPad's purportedly more sensitive accelerometer should ease the game's difficulty, while the larger screen can only intensify its cinematic flair. $1.99

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