An S&S; Perspective: Asynchronous iOS Gaming

      If there is one thing iOS devices, or mobile platforms in general, have done for the gaming industry it's bringing about a multiplayer revolution. iOS games also generally tend to be great for playing a few minutes at a time, like on the bus or between classes. What if the two aspects were combined? Multiplayer gamesthat can be picked up and played for a minutes at a time. Good news! It already has! They're called asynchronous games and they've recently been dominating the app store. Obvious popular titles such as Words With Friends or Draw Something come to mind, but there are so many great asynchronous games hidden away in the app store. So I'm going to show my top 5 favorite asynchronous iOS games.
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer

Ascension is a fast paced deck building game by Playdek. The game takes obvious influences from notable card games like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh. Ascension also has a very "Magic the Gathering-esque" art style to it, which is great. It also has some elements from a role-playing board game like Dungeons and Dragons mostly due to the fact that Ascension was originally a board game.The game would be higher on my list but, the gameplay can get repetitive and its fairly expensive for a game of its quality at $4.99.

Tiny Tower

      Developed by NimbleBit LCC, Tiny Tower was one of the first and most influential games behind the iOS asynchronous gaming "revolution." Tiny Tower is a simulation game where you build, customize, and maintain a gigantic tower, complete with apartments, restaurants, and stores. NimbleBit has since then released an even better asynchronous game, called Pocket Planes, that will be mentioned later. Even though they released  a similar yet "better" game, Tiny Tower will remain on my list because it helped introduce "mainstream" gamers to asynchronous games and is still a great play. In addition, Tiny Towers is free, which is always awesome. 

Hero Academy

      
      Hero Academy is a turn-based strategy game with single and multiplayer features from Robot Entertainment. In Hero Academy you control a team of  5 characters, trying to destroy another players team in the quickest way possible. Unfortunately the multiplayer feature is fairly slow and I find the game crashing frequently. If the multiplayer isnt working the game luckily has a single player "challenge" mode. Additional teams can also  be purchased using real money. Robot Entertainment claims the purchased teams don't give the player an unfair advantage, although I'm hardly ever able to defeat them. Hero Academy is a free and fun game to play with friends, of you can get past the frequent glitches.
Plague inc.

      Plague Inc. is one of the most unique and fun games on the AppStore. You design and upgrade your own disease, watching it grow like your menacing, deadly little baby. While that was a pretty terrible analogy, the game really is terrific. Developer Ndemic Creations put a lot of time and effort into the game and it really shows. It never gets old seeing humanity squirm under the reign of you and your horrifically crafted disease. While its a game with a very dark plot the game still manages to be funny. The game is only $0.99 and it's one of my favorite iOS games of all time.

Pocket Planes

      Developer NimbleBit LLC, really hit it out of the park on its second asynchronous simulator game, Pocket Planes. In Pocket Planes you create, operate, and expand an air travel company. Starting with 4 planes using tiny airports, the company is constantly growing until you have a massive fleet, using high traffic international airports. I constantly find myself checking my phone for updates on my planes, so much so that its essentially an addiction. I've played for at least 8 hours, which is crazy for a game you use for a minute or two at a time. PocketPlanes is currently free, making it one of the best values on the AppStore, and a must play for all iDevice owners.

What are some of your favorite asynchronous iOS games? Sound off in the comment section below or tweet me @DrMrPHD!