Leading the charge in this week’s best games list is Grand Prix Story, another management simulator from Kairosoft that’s just as hard to put down as the developer’s earlier games. This time around, you get to manage an auto racing team, and even if you know nothing about racing (just like you probably knew nothing about running a mall or a game development studio), this one’s still a good time that’ll suck up hours before you know it. Read all about it, and four other great choices from this week, below.
Grand Prix Story (iPhone, iPad) $2.99
Kairosoft has a new “Story” title in its ever-growing line of addictive business sims. The latest is Grand Prix Story, and while it hews close to the formula Kairosoft has set up in which you take over a business and run it in an attempt to become the best, this latest title is new territory, just as all the others were before it. This time around, players manage an auto racing team, which means they’ll need to procure and develop new cars, train racers, gather parts and search for sponsors on the road to eventually trying to win the Grand Prix. Like Kairosoft’s other games, Game Dev Story, Mega Mall Story and Hot Springs Story, this one has a tendency to reel players in and not let go.
Frogger Decades (iPhone, iPad) $1.99
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Frogger, Konami has released an updated version of the game that’s actually two games in one. First, the original old-school arcade version of the street-crossing frog classic, and second, an updated 3-D version of the game. Frogger Decades does well to expand the world of Frogger, adding other characters with special abilities that players can use on certain levels, reworking the game with touch controls, and throwing in Game Center and OpenFeint support for achievements, friends lists and leaderboards. Arcade fans will enjoy the mix of old and new available with Frogger Decades, plus the great price tag.
DrawRace 2 (iPhone, iPad) $0.99
DrawRace 2, the follow-up to the acclaimed DrawRace, packs the same touch-controlled line-drawing gameplay scheme as its predecessor. Basically, players simply draw the path of their car around a race track before the start of the race, and the car follows it. However, the trick is to understand your vehicle and what it’s capable of. Turn too wide, for example, and the car will hit the wall; too tight, and it could spin out. It’s an intuitive way to play to be sure, but DrawRace 2 shines because of its pass ‘n’ play competitive multiplayer you can enjoy with friends.
King of Dragon Pass (iPhone, iPad) $9.99
A storytelling experience akin to those old “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels but on a grand scale, King of Dragon Pass is a game in which you shape the destiny of a clan of barbarians living in Dragon Pass. You read through the story of the game – a good chunk of its 500 scenes – and make decisions for the clan that shape it over generations, all with the goal of taking the throne of Dragon Pass and becoming its king. Do you vanquish your enemies or offer them mercy? Do you cultivate allies or conquer their lands? Do you expand your village into nature or remain small and respectful? Every choice you make shapes the story, and a huge amount of content means lots of replayability.
Naught (iPhone, iPad) Free
Naught is a side-scrolling puzzle-platformer that doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it does have a cool way of controlling it. In order to move Naught around and get through levels, you don’t use virtual buttons, you use your iOS device’s internal gyroscope to guide Naught around. By turning your iPhone or iPad, you can turn the level around Naught, causing him to walk forward down slopes or even fall as the ground beneath becomes a wall instead. It’s an interesting way to play and Naught includes puzzles that require you to adjust your thinking about how to get past obstacles. Best of all, it’s free.
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