There are few iPhone games that I will immediately buy. Most of the ones I do, however, are the classic games I played as a teenager.

The iPhone/iPod touch is more than powerful enough to handle these games and it seems that there are many people like me who are keen to experience these classics again. So, here’s a roundup of modern ports of classic games. Only official ports of classic games are detailed here — clones and the like do exist but I had to draw a line in the sand. I’ve also included links to Wikipedia for those interested in the history of the games.

Classic Arcaders

The Video Arcade is where mainstream gaming began, and there are plenty of original ports from this era to re-live your youth shoving coins into cabinets. I’d still like to see BubbleBobble make an appearance here to completely satisfy my urges.

Space Invaders

Release Year: 1978
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Super Breakout

Release Year: 1978
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $1.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Centipede

Release Year: 1980
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Missile Command

Release Year: 1980
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

PAC-MAN

Release Year: 1980
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $5.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Ms. PAC-MAN

Release Year: 1981
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $5.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Galaga

Release Year: 1981
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Frogger

Release Year: 1981
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $1.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Dig Dug

Release Year: 1982
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Pole Position

Release Year: 1982
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $2.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Q*Bert

Release Year: 1982
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $1.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Space Ace

Release Year: 1984
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Time Crisis

Release Year: 1995
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $5.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Alpine Racer

Release Year: 1995
Original Platform: Arcade
Price: $1.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Adventures

The classic point and click adventure games let you guide your character around a scene, interacting with computer characters and objects by either entering text or clicking on action words. Sierra and Lucas Arts were the kings of this genre until the 3D graphics revolution when they seemed to die out. Myst took a different take on the genre while InfoGames was one of the original companies where text adventures all started (Frotz is an open source interpretor of text adventure games and includes the M.I.T version of Zork).

Zork (available in Frotz)

Release Year: 1977
Original Platform: DEC PDP-10
Price: Free
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Mystery House

Release Year: 1980
Original Platform: Apple II
Price: $5.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Secret of Monkey Island

Release Year: 1990
Original Platform: Atari ST, Macintosh and PC
Price: $7.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Simon The Sorcerer

Release Year: 1993
Original Platform: PC
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Myst

Release Year: 1993
Original Platform: Mac
Price: $5.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Flight of the Amazon Queen

Release Year: 1995
Original Platform: Amiga, PC
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Shooters

The memories of borrowing my school’s greyscale brief-case sized 386 for the weekend to play the shareware version of Wolfenstein 3D are still with me. It started a new era of gaming can now be fondly relived on the iPhone. Duke Nukem 3D is another old favorite, athough ID was clearly the leader.

Wolf 3D

Release Year: 1992
Original Platform: PC
Price: $1.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Duke Nukem 3D

Release Year: 1996
Original Platform: PC
Price: $2.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Platformers

While the original jump’n'run platformer Super Mario Bros isn’t available (yet?), Sega’s main competition Sonic The Hedgehog is, as well as other classic variations of platform games (including hack’n'slash platformers like Golden Axe).

Golden Axe

Release Year: 1989
Original Platform: Arcade Consoles (Sega System 16)
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Rick Dangerous

Release Year: 1989
Original Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, DOS
Price: $1.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Sonic the Hedgehog

Release Year: 1991
Original Platform: Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Price: $5.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Streets of Rage

Release Year: 1991
Original Platform: Sega MegaDrive / Genesis
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Flashback

Release Year: 1992
Original Platform: Amiga
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Super Methane Bros

Release Year: 1993
Original Platform: Amiga
Price: $0.99
Links: Webpage, iTunes

Strategy / Simulation

Sim City and Civilisation are two of the most well known and loved strategy simulation games and of course they make a showing in this list. Personally I’d love to see the old Bullfrog Amiga classics PowerMonger and Populous appear on the App Store too.

Archon

Release Year: 1983
Original Platform: Atari
Price: $2.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Sim City

Release Year: 1988
Original Platforms: Amiga, Mac
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Civilization

Release Year: 1991
Original Platform: PC
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Puzzlers and Others

From the original puzzle game Tetris, to early classics like Bomberman.

Rogue

Release Year: Early 1980s
Original Platform: UNIX
Price: Free
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Bomberman

Release Year: 1983
Original Platform: MSX, NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-6001, Sharp MZ-700, FM-7, ZX Spectrum
Price: $7.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Tetris

Release Year: 1984
Original Platform: PC
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Boulderdash

Release Year: 1984
Original Platform: Atari 400/800, Apple II, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, ColecoVision
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Crystal Quest

Release Year: 1987
Original Platform: Apple Mac
Price: $0.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Pinball Dreams

Release Year: 1992
Original Platform: Amiga
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Pinball Fantasies

Release Year: 1992
Original Platform: Amiga
Price: $6.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Worms

Release Year: 1994
Original Platform: Amiga
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

Vay

Release Year: 1994
Original Platform: Sega CD
Price: $4.99
Links: Wikipedia, Webpage, iTunes

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It’s the weekend and this is TheAppleBlog…so that means only one thing: the latest picks fresh from the App Store.

This week, Apple news seems to have been predominantly iPhone-centric so, before jumping in to the latest apps, it’s time for a quick refresher of Apple news from the past seven days.

Sony started the week by detailing their lineup for forthcoming iPhone games. The list includes a remake of retro classic Q*Bert, among others, but most notable are plans to release games based on Ghostbusters and James Bond. I hate to disappoint any hopeful readers, but there’s just no way it’s going to be N64 Goldeneye for the iPhone.

Alongside all those other iPhone-occurrences, I managed to squeeze in reviews of two brand new apps: AudioBoo and RelationTips. Earning a Silver App Review Award, AudioBoo (essentially an audio-version of Twitter) is seriously good fun, especially for those with a voice for radio.

Word on the grape vine is that 3D video could arrive on the iPhone as soon as next year. Now that’s soon indeed, but does anyone actually care? I am totally confounded by the notion of using 3D glasses on portable devices. Ever since trying out portable 3D Quake at CES a few years back, I consider 3D to be over-priced, over-hyped and almost useless techno-junk.

And with that said, I’m pleased to tell you that this week I’ve been looking at Super Kaiju Hero Force #2, Eliza, Skype and Match.com.

Super Kaiju Hero Force #2 (free)
After the serious bashing that I gave to Daniel X — an incredibly poor graphic novel released on iPhone — I was overjoyed to discover a comic series on iPhone that gets everything right. Starting with the painfully (and amusingly) verbose title, Super Kaiju Hero Force is a manga-inspired joyride through otaku fanboy culture, mashing super-heros and Adult Swim style humor together in to a colorful mess. This second episode is totally free and absolutely brilliant.

Eliza (99 cents)
Back in the day, before I had discovered the joys of Macs or the woes of Windows, I had an Amiga 500. When I wasn’t playing classics like Rick Dangerous, Lemmings or Cannon Fodder, I’d boot up Workbench and chat to ELIZA. For me this was pre-Internet and so ELIZA, a basic chatbot-cum-therapist, felt like magic. If you’re in need of a pocket therapist, download ELIZA for your iPhone and you can spend hours telling her about your mother.

Skype (free)
With Fring, Truphone and Nimbuzz, I just couldn’t see what Skype for the iPhone could bring to the game. As GigaOm’s Om Malik said earlier this week, there are a few areas for improvement, but setting those aside for a moment, this is a commendable first version (and so it should be, seeing as Skype have taken so long to deliver): call quality is great, browsing contacts is clear, and the interface feels incredibly similar to the desktop version. The app has made front page on my iPhone and, if you’re already a Skype user, it’s well worth downloading the official app immediately.

Match.com (free)
Earlier this week I wrote about RelationTips, an iPhone app that proffers relationship advice. Setting aside our emerging theme of iPhone as therapist, it’s time to let your iPhone play matchmaker. Match.com has finally arrived on the iPhone with an app that services all of your online dating needs as you hunt for love. The app is ideal for Match.com users on the dating scene, integrating profile editing, messaging and photo uploads.

I’ll return in just seven days time with more picks from the App Store. Drop by TheAppleBlog during the week to find the latest Apple news alongside app reviews too.

In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?

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While our U.S. contingent have been preparing tender turkeys (or veggie equivalents), over in the UK I’ve been taste-testing the latest scrummy additions to the App Store.

This week I’m looking at MobileLinked IM, Project Polaroid, Touchgrind and lo-fi retro freebie Fire Engine.

MobileLinked IM (free)
In terms of iPhone IM clients, everyone seems to have their favourites. I dig Palringo – being able to send voice-messages and photos to my mates while I’m out and about feels like I’m living in McLuhan’s glittering global village. On the other hand, fellow TAB writer Darrell Etherington can’t get enough of Beejive’s sweet features. Choice is a good thing, so it’s wonderful that MobileLinked IM has joined the fray, yet, despite being free, it’s lacking in the features and polish of its older counterparts.

Project Polaroid (free)
The Apple Blog covered a cute desktop app called Poladroid a couple of weeks back. Chuck in a normal photo and it spits out a Polaroid-style processed version. Project Polaroid takes it to the iPhone, so you can get retro with your photos while you’re on the go. Frankly, I utterly adore this app — yes it’s as gimmicky as a diamond-encrusted toilet-seat, but I just can’t abide by the grainy cheap iPhone camera and Project Polaroid is the perfect retro-themed remedy.

Touchgrind ($4.99)
It’s a proper skateboarding game on the iPhone, packed with tons of moves activated through a deceptively simple control system. You’ll need seriously dextrous fingers to bust out impressive moves on Touchgrind, but getting your digits ’round the tough technique is worth it when you’re able to string together massive combo multipliers across the tiny skatepark.

The Classic – Fire Engine (free)
Back in the day, when the closest thing to an iPhone was a brick-sized cellular, the must-have handheld gaming gizmo was Nintendo’s Game & Watch. Now it’s pretty tough to track down of these desirable devices, so in lieu of the real thing, MG Interactive’s series of games brings Nintendo-flavored LCD goodness to the iPhone. Although it’s called Fire Engine, the game actually finds you rescuing escapees from a burning building and ferrying them to your nearby ambulance. Ever so slightly in bad taste yet undeniably classic fun.

As we scurry away from the week that was, there are but a few more moments to ponder an app I missed a few weeks back. Last week a fresh App Store oddity hit iTunes: developed by Yudo Games, SpyBugRadar finds you raising and lowering your iPhone to search for hidden bugs in the room.

SpyBugRadar is part of Yudo’s freshly launched series entitled, “1$ Games.” The game is like having your own piece of James Bond style gadgetry as you physically hunt around your room for the beeping bugs. And it’s free, for the time being, in the App Store. We need more developers like Yudo, designing games that are quirky and stuffed with tons of imagination, like lovingly prepared Thanksgiving poultry.

That’s all for this week, I’ll catch you next Saturday for more from the App Store. In the meantime, drop by the comments and let me know which apps you’ve been downloading.

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