Game maker Electronic Arts has two titles leading the charge on our Fresh Games list today, both of which are former iPhone apps optimized for use on the iPad. SimCity, the PC city management simulator, and the world-domination board game Risk are now iPad games you can download. Check them out, and more, below.
SimCity Deluxe for iPad $6.99
The classic city building and management game has been available on iPhone for a while now, but today Electronic Arts has dropped an iPad-optimized version of the game that has been entertaining fans for years.
SimCity comes with new iPad-specific touch controls and includes seven different game scenarios to challenge you and your city running skills, like coping with a heat wave to recovering from natural disasters. The game will also give you pop-up information in the iPad’s dock in order to keep you up to speed on your city even when you’re not playing.
Risk: The Official Game for iPad $6.99
While EA was busy getting SimCity ready for iPad, it went ahead and ported the Risk app from the iPhone to the iPad as well. The game is a technological update of the world domination board game — you know, the one that has you collecting armies, taking over territories, rolling dice to go to war and forming political alliances with friends and neighbors.
The app pretty much creates a board game on your iPad’s touchscreen, making it possible to play with up to five other people. You can also play against computer-guided opponents if you don’t have any friends or world leaders handy.
Despicable Me: Minion Mania update (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
Namco, the game company behind this iPhone and iPad tie-in with the recent Universal movie, puts you in control of the Minions, a group of goofy little alien-like guys in the service of supervillian Gru. Minion Mania has you putting the Minions through their paces by using the little guys to complete puzzles in Gru’s lab as part of their training, in Lemmings-style gameplay that has the Minions performing jobs to reach different areas of the stages.
The game costs a buck, but the new update that Namco just dropped for it is free. It includes five new levels to supplement the 20 that come with the download. There are also a bunch of gadgets and items scattered throughout the lab to find and utilize, and you can customize your Minions to put your own stamp of individuality on your team.
