Nine games that need to be ported to Android

I previously discussed how there are many games out there that should find a home on the Adnroid platform, and now it is time to make some demands. The mobile era has arrived and we really need to embrace it. For the sake of simplicity I divided my list into three sections: 3D Games on Consoles, Point-and-clickers, and iOS Games. These sections include a treasure trove of games that would not only be profitable and highly addictive if ported to Android.

3D Games on Console Platforms

The fact that there are many first-person shooters available on mobile shows that there are very few off-limit game types. If we can do shooters, then surely we can do these:

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

This 2003 role playing game from BioWare has long been thought of as the best Star Wars video game ever. It tells the story of a Jedi Knight in the distant past of the Star Wars universe -- 4,000 years before the movies -- whose actions, either dark or light, will determine the fate of the entire galaxy. Whether this Jedi is good or bad is up to you. Fans of this epic game have to settle for Angry Birds Star Wars, a cute and decent casual title that lacks the depth of Knights of the Old Republic.

Half-Life

The game that kicked off the most critically acclaimed shooter series of all time deserves revival via mobile means. Sure, some things would need to be streamlined. The jumping action would have to be less complicated, for one, and the difficulty would probably need to be ramped down a bit. But I can see a world in which a new generation of gamers discovers this classic on Android.

Deus Ex or Metal Gear Solid

Android, and mobile games in general, is sorely lacking in the stealth game genre. The Dark Knight Rises (Gameloft) or Contract Killer 2 (Glu Mobile) might be the closest we've come to quality games that utilize sneak tactics. The downside to Metal Gear Solid might be that it's a bit long-winded and not completely well-suited to play during your morning commute, but it could work. In addition, the Deus Ex franchise recently revived itself with Human Revolution on consoles and the PC, and I would imagine that gamers might want a taste of more from that series on a format they find more palatable than the immobile PC.

Point-and-clickers

There are a lot of games on PC primarily driven by the mouse and little else that could make a very smooth transition to touch controls:

Daedalic Entertainment titles

This fall has seen the release of the English versions of Daedalic's Harvey's New Eyes and a pair of Deponia games, all of which are old-style point-and-click adventure games. While the original Edna & Harvey title, the years-old The Breakout, has been available on iOS for two years, none of these new games have been adapted to mobile. I would imagine that at least as many people would consume these games on their tablets as have bought them on the PC.

The Dig

The Secret of Monkey Island proved that SCUMM games can be ported to mobile, though the game was only made available on iOS. In any case, I always preferred The Dig, another SCUMM classic that was weirder and had a sci-fi theme. It is the kind of game that folks would obsess over even if it doesn't seem terribly accessible.

X-Com: UFO Defense

This fall, many folks will remember how much they loved the old X-Com games from the 90s thanks to Enemy Unknown, which means it is the perfect time for a mobile adaptation of the original game. Strategy titles have done well on mobile, as we've seen that with Civilization Revolution and others, but it's time for some more tactical gameplay.

iOS Games Not Available on Android

If an iPhone can run a game, so can a lot of, if not most, Android devices:

Walking Dead: The Game

Telltale's interactive and adaptive version of the popular zombie apocalypse comic deserves to reach the Android audience. In the game you are forced to make tough decisions, including choosing which characters live while letting others die. It's already being called the best video game of the year on any platform, and so we deserve it, too.

Horn

This is an action game from Zynga that actually has a captivating story and legit voice acting. In other words, this is the kind of game that makes me love gaming. You get to fight hordes of ridiculous monsters as underdog Horn, who goes from being a blacksmiths apprentice to a fearless warrior. It's unfortunate that it's only available on Apple devices.

Sid Meier's Pirates!

Aaarrrgh, of course Android doesnt have this amazing game! This is absolutely one of my favorite games ever; I like it so much that I own it on four different platforms, including my iPad. But I don't carry my iPad around like I do my Galaxy Nexus, and I'd love for Android owners everywhere to be able to experience this brilliance. In this game you build your crew of swashbuckling pirates and embark on missions to find treasures.