今年的手机游戏无疑要比过去其他年份都要成熟精良，iPhone和Android智能手机的大力推广也是它们走红的重要影响因素。有些手机游戏是通过更新换代进行改良，另一些则独辟蹊径，采用更灵活的手段为用户提供便捷而更具吸引力的娱乐体验。

在此，本文特甄选本年度五款最具影响力的手机游戏以飨各位，虽然这些作品并不能概括整个手机游戏行业的全貌，但我们认为这些游戏都具有各自独特代表性。

1.《水果忍者》（Fruit Ninja，运行于iOS、Android平台）

Fruit Ninja

如果是真正的忍者，肯定会喜欢上《水果忍者》这款简单而有挑战性的游戏。玩家在游戏中的任务是以指代刀，将水果切成碎片，同时要注意提防一些意外飞来的炮弹阻碍任务完成。如果顺利完成了同一时间切碎大量水果之类的高难度任务，玩家将得到一些游戏奖励。这款游戏既富有智慧又简洁易操作，其神奇之处就在于意想天开的创造性，一言以蔽之，简直就是一个巫术。

这款游戏非常适合用户消磨时间，比如说在排队或者其他只有1分半钟左右的闲暇空隙，在这种百无聊赖的情况下，用户往往会需要甚至是希望通过《水果忍者》这类小游戏来打发时光。

手机游戏还能提供这一用户群从未接触过的电子游戏，尽管《水果忍者》并非掌机游戏市场中那种完整版本的策略射击游戏，但它的成功已足以说明手机游戏市场的巨大潜力。只要再过几年，玩家究竟更青睐哪种游戏，答案自然见分晓。

2.《口袋传奇》（Pocket Legends，运行于iOS平台）

pocket_legends

在智能手机问世前，大型多人在线手机游戏根本就是痴人说梦。即使是掌机游戏，其大型多人在线游戏的运行效果也仍然不甚理想，不管怎么说，用户就是要有键盘、鼠标、电脑显示器等配置，才能玩得转充斥成千上万名玩家的虚拟游戏世界。

《口袋传奇》这款手机游戏颠覆了这一逻辑，它是首部3D大型多人在线角色扮演（MMORPG）手机游戏，而且大获成功。虽然还不能与《魔兽世界》相提并论，但确实是比多数网页大型多人休闲游戏要强得多，更重要的是它可以免费体验，至少刚开始时是这样。

这款游戏的运营主要依靠所谓的“微交易”（microtransactions）模式，用户可以免费下载并体验这款游戏，但升级新场景、新选项等功能时，需支付0.99或1.99美元。

MMO游戏忠贞不渝、不吝花钱的铁杆粉丝可能还是对这款游戏很是不屑，但事实就是如此，《口袋传奇》仍然大行其道。这款游戏也证明，手机平台确实拥有运行大型社交游戏的无限潜力。

3.《N.O.V.A. 》（运行于iOS、Android、webOS平台）

N.O.V.A.

传统资深的电子游戏玩家普遍认为，Gameloft公司出品的第一人称射击游戏《N.O.V.A. 》才能算是真正理想的手机游戏典范。这种看法不难理解，《N.O.V.A. 》所带来的游戏体验好比是在智能手机或iPod上运行《Halo》。

除了拥有戏剧性的游戏环节、史诗般的战役模式的故事框架，《N.O.V.A. 》还拥有多人游戏死亡竞技模式这一可经受PC射击游戏玩家考验的特色功能。用户可以通过互联网或本地Wi-Fi连接与朋友共同体验游戏，但《N.O.V.A. 》的iOS版本只有一种竞技模式，即标准死亡模式，只含最初级的排名和组队功能，而且Game Center功能还不支持运行这一游戏。另一款名为《原型》（Archetype）的射击游戏自投放手机市场以来，在多人游戏组件上已经赶超了《N.O.V.A. 》，但后者仍然凭借无可匹敌的制作效果，以及丰富的单人玩家模式经验，为用户提供了最完整、最过硬的玩家程序包，这一点确实是其他智能手机射击游戏无法企及的优势。《N.O.V.A. 》在营收等方面获得的成就，也再次证明iPhone可能还将包括Android，成为传统游戏运行平台的日子也已经近了。

4.《史诗城堡》（Epic Citadel，运行于iOS平台）

epic-citadel

你可能无法想象这款游戏到底有多华丽，但只要你看了《史诗城堡》的画面，肯定也会拍案叫绝，难以相信手机游戏的视觉效果也可以达到如此境界。《史诗城堡》是游戏开发商和引擎研发商Epic Games公司的核心产品Unreal Engine的一个技术演示产品，但已投放iPhone平台，不久后还将登陆Andorid手机。

Unreal Engine这款游戏引擎，是《质量效应》（Mass Effect）、《战争机器》（Gears of War）、《生化奇兵》（BioShock）等掌机和PC游戏实现3D动画特效的重要工具，依靠Unreal Engine工具创造的游戏视觉效果堪比多数出色的Xbox 360和PlayStation 3游戏作品，开发iOS等手机游戏更是不在话下，《史诗城堡》就是其首部手机游戏作品。虽然这款游戏的数码虚拟世界相当炫目，但因为只是一个技术演示样品，在“游戏”二字上仍需再下功夫。尽管如此，《史诗城堡》仍然是预示手机游戏未来的一个里程碑式的作品。部分人仍然怀疑这种类型的游戏究竟能否在手机平台实现，但事实证明他们多虑了，已有不少iPhone和Android开发商表示将采用Unreal Engine这款工具来武装自己的游戏，最终结果如何，我们拭目以待。

5. 《愤怒鸟》（Angry Birds，运行于iOS、 Android、webOS、Nokia N900平台)

AngryBirds

从设计和技术角度上看，《愤怒鸟》并没有什么创造性和影响力，除了非常搞笑外，最大的成就在于它是一个以低价卖出百万销量、创造惊人营收的手机游戏奇迹。

这款游戏在苹果App Store的“最热门”和“最高下载量”的应用排行中夺魁，正逐步向Android用户发起攻势。截止目前，《愤怒鸟》已经出售了650万份，虽然仅标价0.99美元，但薄利多销所获的经济效益非常可观。

《愤怒鸟》热卖的原因在于，它在“游戏操作简单”与“让玩家欲罢不能的挑战性”这两个游戏开发要诀上做足了功夫。无论是手机还是其他平台上的游戏，大部分出色、畅销的作品获得成功的首要原因就是找准了这两个要诀之间的穴位。

当然，游戏开发还要考虑收支平衡。游戏售价在1美元左右，对大多数玩家来说都是个很有吸引力、值得一试的体验。正是这种颇具竞争力的价格，让《愤怒鸟》的销量一举超越那些价格不菲的游戏。该游戏的芬兰开发商舍得让利给玩家，是因为一般休闲游戏玩家根本不需要具有3D视觉效果这类需要投入巨资的游戏，他们只要求游戏好玩就行，如果开发商的创意很好，也能以低成本投入，开发出叫好叫座的游戏。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译）

5 Groundbreaking Mobile Games That Debuted This Year [Mashable Awards]

Mobile gaming has matured more in the past year than in almost any year before, thanks in no small part to the propagation of the iPhone and smartphones running Google’s powerful Android operating system. Even as some mobile games have become more sophisticated than most of their predecessors, others have used the available technology to make simple amusement that much more engaging.These five games launched in the past year and each made a noteworthy contribution to the exploding scene of mobile games. We recommend giving each of them a whirl if you’re interested in seeing how quickly gaming-on-the-go is changing.It was difficult to narrow this down to just a few titles, and this is by no means a complete list of must-have mobile games, but each one we picked represents a different kind of extraordinary forward movement for the medium.

1. Fruit Ninja (iOS, Android)

A true ninja will appreciate the brilliant zen simplicity of Fruit Ninja, a game that challenges its players to accurately slice flying pieces of fruit using their fingertips like a sword.

Occasionally a bomb pops up to threaten your fruity killing spree, and you’re given bonuses for executing dextrous tasks like slicing multiple fruits at once. And that’s really all there is to it. The presentation is both clever and clean; there’s a whimsicality to the whole thing. It has, to put it plainly, the mojo.

It’s perfect for a mobile device that you only pick up when you’re waiting in line or for some other reason looking to kill about 90 seconds. For many phone gamers, that’s all that’s needed oreven wanted.

Mobile phones could bring video games to audiences who’ve never before played them so it’s fascinating to see what catches on. While Fruit Ninja may not be a hardcore tactical shooter like much of the console game market, its success speaks to a new audience of gamers. Give it a couple more years and we’ll find out for sure just what gamers want to play.

2. Pocket Legends (iOS)

Before smartphones, massively multiplayer gaming on the go was a pipe dream. Not even the game consoles have done a very good job of getting it right — you really needed a keyboard, mouse and computer screen to share a virtual world with thousands of friends.

Pocket Legends breaks the cycle; it’s the first 3D, massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG, or just MMO) to achieve considerable success. Is it World of Warcraft? Not quite. But it’s superior to many browser-based casual MMOs, and it’s free to play — at least at first.

Pocket Legends uses what MMO developers call “microtransactions” to keep the bills paid. You can download and play the game for free, but you’re constantly offered minor upgrades — new dungeons, new options and so on — for small amounts like $0.99 or $1.99.

Purists who prefer hardcore, subscription-based MMOs will scoff, but this is where the industry is going, and Pocket Legends is riding the wave. The game also demonstrates the potential of mobile devices as play-anywhere social gaming platforms, and that’s an exciting prospect.

3. N.O.V.A. (iOS, Android, webOS)

Traditional or hardcore video game players like to point to Gameloft’s first-person shooterN.O.V.A.as the definitive example of what they believe mobile gaming should be. That impulse is understandable.N.O.V.A.is as close as you’ll get today to playing Halo on your smartphone or iPod.In addition to a space marine-filled storyline with dramatic set pieces and epic firefights set in varied environments,N.O.V.A.features a multiplayer deathmatch mode that stands up to the shooters PC gamers enjoyed ten years ago. You can play on the Internet or locally with friends using Wi-Fi.3G isn’t supported.There’s only one mode — the standard deathmatch — and the game ships with only rudimentary ranking and matchmaking features, with no Game Center support on iOS. Another shooter called Archetype has arguably outdone N.OV.A.’s multiplayer component since it hit the market, but with its unrivaled polish and single-player experience,N.O.V.A.has the complete, hardcore gamer-friendly package in a way that no other smartphone shooter does.Its critical and financial success demonstrates that the iPhone, and possibly Android, are a viable platform for traditional games.

4. Epic Citadel (iOS)

You will not believe how beautiful this game is and once you see its beauty, you won’t believe that it’s happening on your phone. To be fair, Epic Citadel  is only barely a game. It’s first and foremost a tech demo for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, which has been ported to the iPhone, and which will also reach Android phones before too long.

The Unreal Engine is behind the 3D graphics in popular console and PC games like Mass Effect, Gears of War and BioShock — visual powerhouses even when pitted against the most technologically showy titles on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Its adaptation for the iOS devices has gone off without a hitch, and Epic Citadel is the first result. It’s a gorgeous digital fantasy world.

Unfortunately, since it’s a just tech demo there’s not much to do in the “game.”

Nevertheless, it may be indicative of the future of mobile gaming. Few people imagined that a presentation like this would ever be possible on a mobile phone. Those who doubted it were proven wrong, and since iPhone and Android developers will soon have the option to license the Unreal Engine for their games, we’re going to see even more evidence of that in the future.

5. Angry Birds (iOS, Android, webOS, Nokia N900)

Angry Birds is neither innovative in its design nor groundbreaking in any technical sense. Its biggest contribution (apart from sheer fun) is the absolute certainty that mobile games at alluring prices can sell millions of copies and generate astonishing revenue.

Angry Birds is the number one iPhone and iPod touch game in Apple’s App Store in the “popular” and “highest grossing” categories. It’s slowly introducing itself to Android users, too. The game has sold at least 6.5 million copies to date. It’s usually priced at $0.99, but even at that price we’re talking about substantial revenue.

The game has sold well because it strikes that perfectly delicate balance between “simple enough for anyone to pick it up and play” and “challenging enough to keep players hooked for hours.”

Most of the great, best-selling games on any platform — mobile or otherwise — succeeded because they hit that sweet spot. But there’s also a balance between value gained and money spent. At $1,most people are willing to give the game a shot.

That helps it sell more copies than a pricier title would. The game’s Finnish developers could afford to sell it for such a low price because casual gamers don’t expect amazing 3D graphics, which are expensive to produce. They just expect fun, and if a developer has a great idea, that can be comparatively cheap to turn into a reality.

Which mobile games stood out for you? Let us know your own top five in the comments or nominate them for the “Best Mobile Game” for the Mashable Awards.（source:Mashable）