Best Arcade Sports Games for iPhone and iPod touch

Regardless of the platform sports games have always proved extremely popular and that is no different to the iPhone/iPod Touch which has seen sports games from the major game developers like EA port their well known titles like Fifa and Madden to the touch devices. In addition to those established titles newer developers have been able to exploit the unique controls of the iPhone and iPad to provide some quality arcade sport titles.

These are some of the best Arcade Sports Games for iPhone & iPod touch:

9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011

9 Innings Pro Baseball 2011

Some games have a depth to them that add nothing to the game other than additional complexity however this is not the case with 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 [App Store]which provides the complete baseball experience and covers it all so well.

Batting, Pitching and Fielding are all here and the controls are simple enough to pick up quickly yet detailed enough to give you full control over all your players. The graphics are in a Manga style and they look great throughout.

In addition to taking your team, all the MLB teams are here in full including player names, through a complete season you can also play an Exhibition game or for the glory hunters out there simplicity and glory of the Homerun Mode also provides some instant gratification.

As if all that wasn’t enough 9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 also utilizes a Card Swapping process where through a variety of methods you can collect player cards, swap and combine them increase your player stats.

9 Innings: Pro Baseball 2011 is a must for any baseball fan with an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Backbreaker Football

Backbreaker Football

There are some big football games available for the iPhone and iPod Touch with EA’s Madden and Gamelofts NFL leading the pack of full game simulations. But for the sheer pick up and play pleasure of scoring touchdowns they don’t come any better than Backbreaker Football [App Store].

The aim is as simple, take your customizable running back from one end zone to the other without getting tackled. Sounds simple enough and for the first few goes it is but as you progress through the multiple levels the defenders increase in numbers, skill and power and your juking and spinning will need to be at their best to avoid the bone crunching tackles from the defensive players that feel like they are coming out of the screen rocking you to the core.

With two game modes, 90 levels, global leaderboards and Facebook integration Backbreaker Football lives up to it’s name.

10 Pin Shuffle (Bowling)

10 Pin Shuffle BowlingNot all sports are fast paced physical experiences, there are some more sedate ones too that require an equal amount of skill. One such title is 10 Pin Shuffle [App Store] which brings the tabletop pub game to the touch screen.

The game is played on a custom table top with each player having 4 weights that they take in turns to slide down the table to get as close to the other end of the table without falling off the edge, kind of like Curling without the ice and brooms!

The touch screen is a perfect interface for sliding the weights across the top of the shining smooth playing area and the movement is just as you would expect as if you were playing for real.

You can play though a variety of cpu players each of which get progressively more skilled and aggressive in their game-play or you can play a 2 player game against a friend. Once you’ve played Shuffleboard you can switch things up a bit by playing the bowling version of shuffleboard where 10 pins will be placed at the end of the table for you to knock down or mix things up again by playing 10 Pin Poker!

10 Pin Shuffle (Bowling) may be more sedate than other titles in the genre but is no less engrossing and entertaining.

Homerun Battle 3D

HOMERUN BATTLE 3D

What’s the best thing about playing/watching baseball? Correct, homeruns, and Com2Us have taken that single part of the game and made it into a colossus title that will keep you coming back again and again.

The first thing you will notice is how good the game looks and then how simple it is to strike the ball. But the thing that will hook you into the game is the first time you hit the ball flying out of the park, it’s not going to give you the feeling the Albert Pujols gets when he hits one but it’s possible as close as many of us will get!

Playing the single player mode of the game will enable you to build up your characters stats with the addition of clothing and equipment that not only make your player look better but also increases their power and control.

The best part of the game though is the Matchup Mode where you can take your fully customized player online and compete against other players from all of the world. This process has been beautifully integrated into the game and you’ll find yourself seamlessly moving between both modes.

For sheer enjoyment and satisfaction of hitting homeruns Homerun Battle 3D [App Store] wins everytime.

Super KO Boxing 2

Super KO Boxing 2 iPhone

Quality boxing games are few and far between in the Apple App Store but Glu have manged to create a fun and challenging boxing game in the form of Super KO Boxing 2 [App Store] which adds a large dose of humor to the serious task of knocking down your opponent before you get knocked out.

At first this beautifully colorful, brash and loud game may appear to be a simple button basher where the speed of your fingers will lead you to the title, however things are a little more intricate than that.

Each of the 15 unique fighters have their own strong and weak points so simply bashing the buttons is only going to get you so far, finding your opponents weak spots is the key to progression through them all.

There are 3 modes of play and in addition there are 30 achievements to be unlocked that add additional value to game. There is some controversy to the newly added Roid Rage feature but in a game that is more about fun than realism this feature which aims to make things easier for players that are struggling with the more difficult opponents fits in perfectly, even though it will cost you more!

For sheer crazy pugilism there is no better boxing game than Super KO Boxing 2.

Soccer Superstars

Soccer Superstars

Soccer Superstars [App Store] from Gamevil takes the traditional game of soccer and adds a large amount of fun and craziness too it. What Soccer Superstars lacks in real teams and player names but it makes up for it in fast and furious action where your team of cartoon players and super powered strikers look to dominate the game.

The controls will be pretty standard if you’ve played other soccer games where a virtual d-pad and 3 action buttons give you all the control you need. It’s the players skills and special players that set this aside from other soccer games as it becomes part soccer game and part RPG.

There are 5 modes to play through Exhibition, Season, Dramatic, Cup and my favorite My League where you get to lead and develop your own player through multiple seasons with the aim to making him a soccer legend.

While the soccer game itself isn’t a total simulation of soccer as Fifa or PES would be, all the elements are there and I don’t believe that there is another soccer game available that utilizes a Ninja as your main striker!

Soccer Superstars mixes soccer and RPG in a way that while doesn’t sound great on paper actually works perfectly and provides many, many hours of soccer fun.

Deadball Specialist

Deadball SpecialistTalking of soccer, Deadball Specialist [App Store] takes one aspect of the game of soccer and reproduces it perfectly creating an addictive game that demands just one more go again, again and again.

While scoring any type of goal will send the player, team and fans into rapture there is something extra special about a goal scored from a deadball situation where it curls around a wall and into the top corner of the net.

Deadball Specialist re-creates these moments by providing you the challenge of scoring from free kicks place all around the goal area. Power and spin are easily applied to each shot as you flick your finger across the touch-screen.

The first few levels will prepare you for the challenges ahead as more and more defenders are added to the defensive wall for you to curl the ball around. The graphics look great as do the sound effects from the cheering crowds to the crack of leather on wood as the ball smacks against the crossbar.

Each new challenge is quickly loaded leaving no time for boredom and with the OpenFeint integration adding global leader-boards and achievements this is a game which will keep you coming back for more again and again.

Flick Kick Field Goal

Flick Kick Field GoalJust as Backbreaker Football focused on one aspect of the game Flick Kick Field Goal [App Store] focuses on one of the undervalued parts of the game, the kicking. While the kicker may not get the headlines of the Quarterback, Wide Receiver or Running Back he can often be the difference between winning and losing the game.

In Flick Kick Field Goal the simple challenge is to kick the football through the posts from a variety of distances with added difficulty of having to take the wind into consideration that will come from different directions and strengths.

A swipe of the touch screen is all it takes to send the ball flying through the air but as you add power the effect of the spin and the wind will start to have a major impact on the balls flight and so while kicking the ball is easy, mastering the skill of accurately hitting it through the posts again and again is not!

There are three modes of play and with the OpenFeint integration which enables global leader boards and 19 different achievements there is enough fun in Flick Kick Field Goal to keep you coming back for more again and again.

Just like Homerun Battle 3D the satisfaction of succesfully converting a 35 yard field goal with a 10 mph cross wind brings the ultimate satisfaction.

Super Shock Football

Much of my youth was spent playing a table top soccer game called Subbuteo which allowed me to live out my soccer playing fantasies tacking Chelsea to the European League title. Now from what I understand children in the USA lived out their footballing fantasies via a game called Electric Football, a table top football game for the whole family.

Super Shock FootballWhile I’m waiting for Subbuteo to be brought to the iPhone those children that once played Electric Football can now re-live those days via Super Shock Football which aim to re-create the classic table top to your hand-held device.

The game doesn’t have all the glitz and glamour of the full football sims such as Madden and NFL 2010 but what it lacks in sophistication it makes up for in simplicity and pick-up-n-playability! All the key areas of football are reproduced here in all their retro looking glory, from pass and run offense to defense and kicking, the game is fun and exciting from beginning to end.

Just as you would expect from a game that has been ported from a table top version the controls are simple and easy to pick up and while the runs to the end zone may not be as direct as you might expect the satisfaction from scoring one is as big as ever.

The view of the screen can be controlled by the movement of the device allowing you to see all of the field and while the minimal control over your defense makes the game more of a shoot out than a game of detailed tactics the excitement lasts from the 1st quarter to the end of the 4th.

As with many of the games on this list it also has OpenFeint integration which includes a a massive 45 achievements that will keep you coming back for more again and again.

So, these were 9 best arcade sports game for iPhone. Which one is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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