The Cheapo Video Game Review: Free Games for Android (and iPhone)

I have a confession to make: I've been cheating on my gaming consoles with low-priced to no-price Android games. Not just on the go, but on the couch at home as well. What have I been committing console infidelity with of late?

Let's take a look at three games that have been capturing my fancy over the last three weeks.

Gun Bros (Free).

This is a top down shoot-em-up in the vein of the old Contra games. The gameplay formula is simple: shoot hordes of enemy robots, blast explosive crates and generally wreck havoc through post-apocalyptic levels armed with two massive guns fueled by testosterone and bullets. There are two brothers to choose from (Percy or Francis Gun) with no real discernible advantage to choosing one over the other.

The game offers mindless fun as well as power-ups and gun upgrades that you can purchase for a small price as you progress across the various worlds throughout the game. The bottom line on this title is that it is fun, not overly challenging and a great way to kill time. See also Eternity Warriors, which is essentially the same game (also free) except with swords and a fantasy setting replacing the guns and shattered landscapes of this game.


Happy Vikings (Free)

Simply put this game is like a goofy mash-up of Tetris meets Angry Birds meets Hagar the Horrible. Yes, I just wrote that. I'll admit to not spending too much time with this game yet as I just downloaded it yesterday. But my initial impression is that it is another great addition to the "Fun-for-all" column. Cool music accompanies some pretty silly, but well-animated cut scenes. The hard and heavy hits keep coming as sheep, heaps of fish, barrels and other assorted objects get launched onto your Viking ship. The goal is to stack and match the different objects to cause them to disappear, revealing the plethora of gold hidden within. The game is divided into several modes of play. Homeland contains ten levels, Egypt's Land contains ten as well.

Most levels are locked requiring you to complete earlier ones and amass enough points to unlock them. Valhalla Modes like Vikings Forever, offer a faster-paced gameplay with fewer penalties than the normal modes. At least that's my initial impression from about ten minutes playing that particular level. There is a slot promising more levels to come. So just like Angry Birds, this looks to be a game that will keep growing as time goes by. Viking Rio anyone?


Glow Hockey 2 (Free)

The sequel (update, really) to the popular mobile app, Glow Hockey. It is a virtual air hockey game. The paddle and shooting is controlled by directly guiding it onscreen. It can get a bit repetitive, but this version thankfully has two player mode to liven things up. New skins for the paddles and tables exist. Unfortunately, to access all of the new features, you'll have to purchase the full version of the game for $1.99.

This version has Championship mode, as well as the aforementioned customization options. The free version does allow you to change to one alternate table and allows you to select the colors of the paddles and puck. There are four difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, Hard and Insane. Depending on how quickly you get bored with the admittedly repetitive solo gameplay, you might consider dropping the two bucks to widen your options. Personally, the game holds enough time-killing replay value for me as a free app that I'm satisfied saving that $2.99 for now and spending it on something important...like a new comic book.

I played all of these on an Android phone--the HTC Evo 4G to be exact. But I went ahead and checked the availability and pricing of these games on the iPhone as well. You can grab Gun Bros for free both on the iPhone and on Facebook. Glow Hockey 2 comes in a Free, Wi-Fi (.99 cents) and HD version ($1.99) for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Happy Vikings, it seems, is not currently available for Apple's lineup of mobile devices.

Anyone else get any hands on time with these or any other free or cheap mobile games recently? Give a shout out to your favorite below. Also let me know if there are any games in particular you would like me to review (Console, PC or mobile).

Until next week, be sure to follow my video game musings and news via Twitter @SavingsGCapes.