Simple games from the past, the present, and always: Bomber man, Frogger and Solipskier

It’s great that Android is also evolving into an excellent gaming platform where the quality of textures is on a par with that of any portable console… But from time to time there’s a certain nostalgia for those simple games we would spend hours and hours playing until we’d practically damaged our eyesight. So here are three games that the majority will probably be familiar with and that we can now enjoy on our phones.

Bomberman Dojo

Bomberman Dojo takes us back to the days when we used to spend dime after dime at the amusement arcade (now that made me sound old…). If the name doesn’t ring any bells, all you need to do is look at the image of the little guy who strategically plants bombs until he’s cleared the screen of enemies and you’ll recognize it.
The game includes multi-touch support and Open-Feint connection (like Ninja Fruit) so you can share statistics with the whole community. To do this, if you haven’t installed Open-Feint or you haven’t set up an account before, you’ll have to create one at the beginning of Bomberman Dojo, or you can forget about sharing.
Movement is controlled by sliding your finger over the cross control. There’s a normal mode (Dojo) and an editable mode (User) from which you can load saved games, edit your own maps and even exchange maps created with maps by other users.
It may not run quite as smoothly as it should and $4.99 may be a bit steep, but the memories it brings back are priceless.

Frogger

This is another one of those games that we’ve probably all played more than once. The frog that tries to cross a busy road and then a river by jumping on logs etc. is now a classic in the genre of simple but addictive games. By the one and only Konami, it comes in both a standard version and a version compatible with Android 2.0 onwards. However, inexplicably, the updated version not only has worse graphics, but its price has almost doubled… Even so, despite the simple plot, it’s a game that’s way more addictive than it seems.

Solipskier

Now this one hasn’t been around for that long, but it’s a classic browser game (for when your boss isn’t looking). Some of you may remember Line Rider, a game as basic as they come but that could get you totally hooked, spending hours creating incredible circuits for your character to do impressive spins on his sleigh… If you fit that description, then Solipskier will definitely trigger your memory. Again, the aim is ridiculously simple: gain as many points as possible with a skier you draw the tracks, slopes and jumps for, but this time you create the tracks as you go along, by sliding your finger over the screen. The sense of speed intensifies with the accompanying music. It’s very basic game, but it’s the perfect companion for any kind of journey.

So what about you guys? Missing any classics on your Android? What are the games that kept you awake and out of pocket when you were young that you’d like to see adapted for your cell phone? I vote for “Cadillacs & Dinosaurs”.

Happy applications discovery!