iPad mini Games

Electronic Arts has released FIFA 14 as a free download for iPhone and iPad devices. The officially licensed game features 16,000 plus players, 33 leagues, 600 teams and 34 real stadiums. In addition, players can enjoy commentaries in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.

“REAL PLAYERS. REAL TEAMS. REAL LEAGUES. Welcome to the most authentic football game on the App Store. Feel the excitement of every pass, shot, and tackle with new touch controls. Plus, live every moment of real-world football mastery with EA SPORTS Football Club Match Day.”

Toronto based children’s entertainment company Spin Master announced the release of Tech Deck Thursday for iOS and Android. The mobile game is “a free-to-play skateboarding title which combines the immersive thrill and excitement of pulling off perilous feats with the style and finesse of street skating.”

Tech Deck is based on a series of popular miniature skateboards of the same name where collectors use their fingers to recreate famous skateboarding tricks. The hobby, often called fingerboarding, has been translated to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad by Free Range Games.

The hit Brazilian game Le Ninja is free for a limited time in the US App Store. The endless runner was created by indie developer BivisSoft, and it is modeled after one of the largest humor blogs in Brazil. The game shot to the top of the Brazilian App Store charts after its release, and it is now making a splash with US fans thanks to its use of universally recognizable internet memes.

Le Ninja is a side scrolling platform game that tasks players with saving the world from a robot invasion. Players must utilize the power of other ninjas and avoid obstacles to complete missions and save the world. Each ninja has a special skill that can help you along the way. For example, the Red Ninja has a magnetic power to collect coins, and the Green Ninja gives you a super boost.

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time is finally available for iOS devices. The sequel to PopCap's popular tower defense game expands on the original with new plants, zombies and touch-based power-ups. The new power-ups allow you to squash, flick and zap yourself out of sticky situations, as long as you have enough in-game coins to afford them. The game also features a new time traveling story line where you have to go back in time to find your neighbor's missing taco.

There was never any doubts that PopCap would deliver a feature packed sequel, but the big question was if its freemium status would affect game play. So far it looks like in-app purchases are not necessary to enjoy the game. This means users do not have to shell out real cash, or wait a certain amount of time to access any of the game's features. You can however buy more coins and additional plants and upgrades if you want to gain an advantage. The Torchwood and Snow Pea plants are currently the most expensive in-apps purchase at $4 each. Of course there are already people complaining about the prices in the Customer Review section, but that is to be expected.

Team17 has released the follow-up to Worms 2: Armageddon exclusively for iOS devices. Worms 2 and 3 are part of the popular Worms computer game franchise that began in the 1990s. Worms 3 is an artillery strategy game where users control an army of four worms who engage in combat on various battlefields.

The game features a new card mode to boost your troops' abilities, 27 single-player missions, multiplayer Forts and Deathmatch modes, and the ability to customize your army. More importantly, there are six new weapons plus all the old favorites to choose from. You can also select between the new D-Pad control system or stick with the original touch controls.

Ubisoft has announced that the Prince of Persia: The Shadow and The Flame remake is coming to iOS and Android devices on July 25. The team of developers behind the remake released a video diary chronicling what it took to update the classic 1993 game for mobile devices. Akshay Paul, Product Manager of The Shadow and The Flame, described the game as an "easy to handle but challenging to master" version for touchscreens.

Some fans are already questioning why Ubisoft decided to remake the game instead of releasing a new version for PCs and consoles. The consensus seems to be that the Prince of Persia franchise won't be able to compete with Assassin's Creed. However, porting retro games to mobile devices is currently a popular trend with game publishers.

Rovio Entertainment's new publishing label Rovio Stars will release its second game entitled Tiny Thief on July 11. Rovio created Rovio Stars as a way to launch new developers. The first game released under the label was Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage from UK-based studio Nitrome. Icebreaker is a $0.99 physics-based puzzler with 95 levels of ice cutting viking action.

Tiny Thief is also a puzzle-solving game, but this one comes from the Barcelona based 5 Ants Studio. The official YouTube description promises 30 puzzles with 85 hidden items for you to steal. Based on the trailer, it looks like the goal is to interact with the environment so you can trigger chain events to uncover the hidden items.

Contra: Evolution has returned to the App Store after mysteriously disappearing at the end of last month. This is the first Contra game to be released for iOS devices. The game features new levels and updated HD graphics, which is why Konami is calling it a "reincarnation" of the original. Contra: Evoluton is also iOS 7 compatible, meaning it should feature iOS gamepad support later this fall.

Contra is the iconic 80s video game that gave birth to the famed "Konami code". The game was originally released as a coin-operated arcade game, before being released to home consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System. Super Contra was also released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2007.

Gameloft has posted the "E3" trailer for Modern Combat 5. The trailer doesn't reveal much about the actual game, but fans are hopeful that Gameloft will unveil more next week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. E3 2013 is being held at at the Los Angeles Convention center on June 11-13.

Modern Combat 5's predecessor Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, was released for iOS devices in 2012. The game is a sequel to 2009's Modern Combat: Sandstorm, Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus and Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation. The Modern Combat games are first-person shooters, and have been compared to the popular Call of Duty console games.

Cut The Buttons is another simple mini-game for iOS in which you perform a repetitive task for points. The goal of the game is to—as the title implies—cut the buttons off pieces of fabric that are flying through the air for some reason. There is a paid version of the app available for $0.99 and a Lite version for free that comes with minimal advertising.

The buttons get cut with a pair of scissors that you manipulate with two fingertips, making a sort of scissoring motion with the thumb and forefinger of your chosen gaming hand. After you snip the buttons, they drop down into a container below. You get points for just cutting a button, but then there is a secondary counter letting you know how many you've gotten into the basket. Neither of these seem to mean anything except for tracking how long you've managed to play.