Games for less
Prices in the App Store and Google Play marketplaces are in a constant state of flux. Keep an eye out for these games with deep discounts - or even free giveaways - via price tracking apps such as App Shopper (iOS) or AppBrain App Market (Android). Both marketplaces also feature frequent sales on or around major holidays.
Gaming used to be a hobby for homebodies, an activity tethered to wherever the game system or computer was located. But in recent years, the increasingly powerful hardware in smartphones and tablets has shifted the landscape, unleashing players by offering up a nearly equivalent experience on the go.
More than 80 percent of millennials own a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center, and the Entertainment Software Association reports that more than one-third of "frequent gamers" use them as a gaming device.
For many smartphone users, familiarity with mobile gaming may be limited to well-known "casual" titles such as "Angry Birds," "Candy Crush Saga" or "Temple Run." These feature simple controls, rudimentary stories and gameplay that can be enjoyed in quick bursts while waiting for an appointment or in line at the store.
But the rapidly improving processors in smartphones and tablets now are capable of powering significantly more complex games with visuals approaching the level of quality previously possible only on computers and TV game systems. This increased performance - and software that takes advantage of it - has helped to legitimize mobile devices as game platforms.
Here are a dozen games that make the case for serious gaming on go:
"Implosion - Never Lose Hope"
* What it is: A third-person hack-and-slash game with console-quality graphics. Players take control of - and improve - a mechanized battle suit as they fight their way through hordes of aliens during a return trip to Earth, which humanity abandoned 20 years earlier. Features intuitive touch controls, high-quality voice acting and an orchestral score mixed by Grammy Award-winning engineer John Kurlander ("The Lord of the Rings").
* Release date: April 8, 2015
* Add-ons available: None
* Compatible with controllers: Yes
*****
"Modern Combat 5: Blackout"
* What it is: Described by many publications as the "best shooter on mobile," "Blackout" is the fifth entry in developer Gameloft's first-person shooting series that mimics the pacing and gameplay of the "Call of Duty" franchise. Features slick 3-D graphics and cinematic set-piece moments in the single-player campaign that gets players hopping around the world as they pursue a terrorist organization. Online multiplayer is the bread and butter of "Modern Combat," however, and the latest entry in the series adds customizable player classes and numerous match types.
* Release date: July 24, 2014
* Add-ons available: Yes
* Compatible with controllers: Yes
*****
"Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic"
* What it is: The enhanced port of an award-winning role playing game originally released in 2003 on the original Xbox and PC. Set in the legendary "Star Wars" science fiction universe - albeit 4,000 years before the films - players control a customizable character as they travel across the galaxy, attempting to stop a rampaging dark Jedi and his armies. The graphics are slightly improved over the original, and the control scheme has been simplified and streamlined to work on touch screen devices.
* Release date: May 30, 2013
* Add-ons available: None
* Compatible with controllers: Yes
*****
"Oceanhorn"
* What it is: A sprawling overhead adventure in the tradition of Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda" series, players take on the role of an orphaned boy on a quest to discover what happened to his father and to defeat the monstrous sea creature Oceanhorn. Along the way, he explores dungeons, solves puzzles and sails his ship across a sprawling, vibrantly colored world.
* Release date: Nov. 14, 2013
* Price: $9 (iOS)
* Add-ons available: None
* Compatible with controllers: Yes
*****
"Space Marshals"
* What it is: An episodic third-person action game emphasizing tactics such as remaining in cover, stealthy attacks and distraction to outsmart enemies. The science-fiction-meets-Wild-West tale follows the exploits of a lawman as he takes on missions to defeat nefarious scalawags. The control scheme is well-designed and allows precise movement and aiming while minimizing the amount of screen real estate taken up by the player's thumbs. New episodes have, thus far, been made available for free to those who purchase the app.
* Release date: Jan. 8, 2015
* Add-ons available: None
* Compatible with controllers: Yes
*****
"Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft"
* What it is: The mobile port of a wildly popular - and competitive - strategy game featuring collectible cards. Originally released to the PC in March 2014, "Hearthstone" was made available for iPad a month later. Players summon characters and cast spells using decks built from more than 560 cards, drawing on the mythos of the long-running "Warcraft" universe (of "World of " fame). The multiplayer is cross-platform, so gamers can square off against 20 million registered opponents on PCs, Macs and various mobile devices.
* Release date: April 16, 2014 (iPad), Dec. 15 2014 (Android tablets), April 14, 2015 (smartphones)
* Add-ons available: Additional card booster packs and access to the "adventure" mode can be purchased with real money but also may be bought with gold earned in-game
* Compatible with controllers: No
*****
"Banner Saga"
* What it is: A deeply narrative, tactical role-playing game set in a Viking fantasy world. Players lead a caravan of characters and must make difficult decisions that dramatically affect the lives of their in-game followers. The combat system emphasizes careful tactical decisions, and the game is presented in a distinctive storybook visual style that emulates the look of 1950s-era Disney films such as "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella."
* Release date: Oct. 8, 2014
* Add-ons available: None
* Compatible with controllers: No
*****
"XCOM: Enemy Within"
* What it is: A tactical strategy game in which players command a secret, international special forces group organized to combat extraterrestrial threats. A port of an expansion pack to the hugely popular PC original (released in 2013), players manage the construction of a base of operations, the training of soldiers and research into alien species and technology. While on missions, they control a squad as they eliminate alien threats and rescue civilians in an attempt to placate various nations who provide funding and resources to their organization.
* Release date: Nov. 13, 2014
* Add-ons available: None
* Compatible with controllers: No
*****
"Vainglory"
* What it is: A gorgeous, multiplayer online battle arena in the same vein as enormously popular PC titles such as "League of Legends" and "Defense of the Ancients" but designed from the ground up to be controlled using two fingers on a touchscreen. In the fast-paced, 3-vs.-3 multiplayer battles, players choose from one of more than a dozen heroes with various specialized combat roles as they navigate a fantasy arena, killing monsters and enemy heroes, buying new equipment and leveling up in an attempt to ultimately destroy a crystal in their opponents' base.
* Release date: Nov. 18, 2014
* Price: Free (iOS)
* Add-ons available: Several heroes are available to play for free every week, but permanently unlocking a hero for use at any time costs currency, which is acquired slowly in-game or via packed bundles purchased using real-world money.
* Compatible with controllers: No
*****
"Halo: Spartan Assault/"Halo: Spartan Strike"
* What it is: Originally released to Windows Phones in 2013, "Spartan Assault" - and its recently released sequel "Spartan Strike" - are third-person offshoots of Microsoft's wildly successful "Halo" first-person-shooter franchise on Xbox. Players control Spartan supersoldiers as they fight the Covenant and the Forerunners during missions set between the events of the third and fourth entries in the "Halo" series. Experience awarded for performing special actions, such as killing enemies rapidly or in unusual ways, can be traded in for various boosts and weapon upgrades.
* Release date: April 16, 2015 (both games)
* Price: $6 a piece or $10 as a bundle (iOS)
* Add-ons available: None
* Compatible with controllers: Yes
*****
"Real Racing 3"
* What it is: One of mobile gaming's most popular and longest-running racing franchises, "Real Racing 3" features highly detailed car models for more than 110 vehicles that players can race around about 30 real-world tracks in a dozen locations. Since its release, "Real Racing 3" frequently has been updated with new cars from different manufacturers, additional tracks and special events.
* Release date: Feb. 28, 2013
* Add-ons available: The game features a timer-system that delays the delivery of purchased vehicles and any repairs to the player's vehicles. Instantly completing a delivery or repair costs premium currency which is earned in-game or which can be purchased in packs using real money.
* Compatible with controllers: Yes
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.
Take control
Here are some of the most highly-rated controllers for mobile devices: * SteelSeries Stratus Wireless Gaming Controller - $80 MSRP (iOS only) * Phonejoy Controller - $70 (iOS/Android) * Razer Serval - $80 (Android only) * Moga Rebel - $80 (iOS only) * Moga Pocket Controller - $30 (Android only)