In 2009, our game of the year was Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor [99� / HD], a title that perfectly embodied what we loved about iPhone gaming. After weeks of deliberation, lists, email chains, and IM conversations we've settled on the official TouchArcade iPhone game of the year for 2010: Venan Entertainment's Space Miner: Space Ore Bust [$1.99 / Lite / HD].

In our review we called it "one of the best games [we've] played since the App Store went live over a year and a half ago." Looking back on the game releases of 2010 trying to pick what we thought was the best lead to us continually coming back to Space Miner. We loved the classic Asteroids-style gameplay, the clever storytelling, and the degree of customization that kept us coming back for more through multiple play throughs. Depending on how you load your ship out, the game plays much differently. For instance, you can be a glass cannon prioritizing asteroid-pulverizing guns, or take a more slow and steady approach prioritizing shields and cargo space for huge hauls of ore.

Space Miner HD is great on the iPad, and we also really enjoyed Space Miner Blast [Free], a game based on Space Miner with much of the depth of the original game stripped out to instead focus on quick arcade-style gameplay. Also, the original Space Miner has been updated to include some really great looking Retina Display graphics. If you played through the game when it was originally released earlier this year, we hope this serves as a good reminder to reinstall this game and enjoy it again. If this is the first you've heard of Space Miner, it is a game that simply must be part of your game library.

Runner Up: Carcassonne

The Coding Monkeys have two Apple Design Awards under their belt for their two Mac programs, SubEthaEdit and BoinxTV. Taking this in to account, it's no surprise at all that the overall design and presentation of Carcassonne [$9.99] could not possibly be better. Based on the classic board game of the same name, Carcassonne is without a doubt the best adaptation of any board game that we've seen on the App Store. Instead of implementing unnecessary 3D graphics like EA has with their Hasbro classics, The Coding Monkeys focused on how the game plays.

Carcassonne starts with a fantastic completely voiced over tutorial to guide new players in to the game, and game modes that allow you to either play in massive single player games with many types of AI players or a number of different multiplayer modes. These modes include single device hot seat multiplayer, local Bluetooth or WiFi, and even online asynchronous play utilizing push alerts. Honestly, the only thing we could even ask for is that they eventually implement the various Carcassonne expansions as in-app purchase. We've be all over that.

If you've had Carcassonne on your device since it was released, be sure to swing by the thread where people are still looking for others to play with. Otherwise, it recently saw an update which added universal compatibility, making this game a must-have for both iPhone and iPad owners.

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While our iPhone game of the year took tons of deliberation, the iPad game was far more clear cut. Since the device's release, we've yet to really see much in the way of killer iPad-exclusive content. Most developers instead have somewhat understandably have chosen to use the iPhone and iPod touch as their target platforms, then either eventually release a universal update or a completely separate "HD" version of the game. 2D Boy really knocked it out of the park in releasing an iPad-exclusive version of their hit indie PC/Mac/Wii game World of Goo [$9.99]

We really couldn't say enough good things about it in our review, as adding a multitouch interface to the game enhanced overall gameplay more than I could ever have imagined. On the PC/Mac, you built up huge towers of goo balls utilizing the mouse pointer, which seems to be impossible to go back to after being able to hold a single goo ball with each finger while panning the camera around with the other hand.

If you own an iPad, this is a game you need to have. If you've played World of Goo on another platform, it's still worth playing through again just because of how much better of an experience it is on the iPad.

Runner Up: Plants vs. Zombies

We had a great time with Popcap's Plants vs. Zombies [$2.99] for the iPhone, but we thought the game was substantially better when played on the iPad with Plants vs. Zombies HD [$6.99]. Very similar to World of Goo, we enjoyed Plants vs. Zombies a ton playing on our computers, but with the multitouch screen of the iPad, the game turns in to something else entirely.

Plants vs. Zombies is an incredibly casual tower defense game that's easy enough for people who have never played a tower defense style game to get in to with any more explanation than the tutorial offers, yet deep enough for even hardcore players to get in to. Progressing further in to the game unlocks additional seeds to use to plant your defenses, and the seeds you choose offer a surprising amount of variation to the game and it's balanced well enough that you can generally focus on using the seeds you like instead of using the seeds that are the "best".

This is a game that everyone with an iPad needs to own, and it's available on so many platforms, if you haven't yet you really need to try Plants vs. Zombies on something.

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With nearly 200 free and paid titles available for download on the App Store, Gameloft is quite possibly the most prolific iOS game developer around. Their aim for the majority of their titles is bringing console-like experiences to iOS devices. For better or for worse, the formula that they have arrived at to accomplish this task is to ape the ideas of established console franchises and create their own versions of them. Opinions on this tactic are mostly divided into two different camps, those who like it and those who don't.

Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, Gameloft provides me the kinds of games that would otherwise not make it onto my preferred mobile gaming platform. But on the other hand it can be hard to swallow just how blatant some of their "inspiration" from other games is, and it's always nicer to see a developer coming up with original ideas for games. Here's a quick rundown of some of Gameloft's most prominent titles from 2010:

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Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus, $6.99 - [Lite / iPad] � Gamelofts' take on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is actually one of the best first-person shooters available. A fun (if cliché) campaign is just icing on the cake for one of the most impressive online suites ever seen in a mobile game.

N.O.V.A. 2 - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance, $6.99 - [iPad] � This homage to Bungie's Halo is also one of the most competent FPS games in the App Store, with a lengthy campaign and a meaty online component. The environments, enemies, and weapons will seem all-to-familiar to fans of the legendary Xbox series, but it's pretty neat to have it all in your pocket.

Shadow Guardian, $6.99 - [iPad] � Fans of Nathan Drake can say hello to Jason Call as Shadow Guardian does its best impression of the Uncharted series. This third-person cover-focused shooter is technically competent, but is missing the unforgettable story and characters that made the original Uncharted games so successful.

Eternal Legacy, $6.99 - [iPad] � Overly dramatic storylines, turn-based battling, and bad haircuts can only mean one thing. No, not the latest Final Fantasy game, but rather Gameloft's version of it. Eternal Legacy borrows heavily from the Final Fantasy series, and is a competent gameplay experience but lacks in quality of story and character development which makes it feel a bit lifeless.

Zombie Infection, $2.99 - [Lite / iPad] � Zombie Infection is the Gameloft equivalent of Resident Evil 5 on consoles. It gets almost all of the gameplay elements right, and is actually a really fun title to play, but again a lack of quality in story and characters makes the overall experience feel hollow.

Gangstar: Miami Vindication, $6.99 - [Lite / iPad] � Clearly a take on GTA: Vice City, Gangstar: Miami Vindication puts you in a gigantic crime-filled sandbox world and lets you do pretty much whatever you want. Unlike the official GTA game on iOS, Miami Vindication emulates the fully 3D third-person perspective of the console titles, but the visuals suffer somewhat because of it.

Let's Golf!® 2, $2.99 - [Lite / iPad] � This is an arcade-style golf game with wacky characters and over-the-top moves just like Sony's Hot Shots Golf series. The unrealistic style of Let's Golf 2 is complemented with an excellent golfing engine, and this sequel to last year's edition is an improvement in just about every way.

Real Golf 2011, $4.99 - [Lite / iPad] � If Let's Golf is Gameloft's take on the Hot Shots series, then Real Golf 2011 is their version of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise. Strangely, there is already a Tiger Woods game on the App Store, but the newest edition hasn't yet seen the light of day. In lieu of this, Real Golf 2011 offers a solid round of realistic golf when the cartoony nature of Let's Golf 2 won't do.

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It's not all copycat games, as Gameloft does do some pretty solid work with licensed IP's like Spider Man Total Mayhem [99�/Lite/HD], Splinter Cell Conviction [99�/Lite/HD], Prince of Persia Warrior Within [99�/Lite/HD], and Brothers in Arms 2 [$4.99/Lite/HD]. Regardless of how you feel about their methods, there's no denying that Gameloft has contributed a ton towards pushing the iOS platform into a more serious gaming direction. For the most part their games are pretty fun and feature a lot of content for under ten dollars (not to mention the frequent sales they have).

It would be nice to see Gameloft invest in more of their own original ideas, since they are obviously a very capable studio. At the same time, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have a facsimile of Halo that I can tote around in my pocket at all times. It will definitely be interesting to see what avenues Gameloft explores in 2011 after such a productive 2010.

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There have been a number of fun and free advergames on the App Store. Firemint did a great job with Real Racing GTI [Free], which was little more than a cleverly disguised lite version of Real Racing [$4.99] with some very heavy Volkswagon branding. VW has also worked with Fish Labs to bring us Volkswagen Think Blue. Challenge [Free], an odd "racing" game of sorts where you're put to the task of driving fuel efficiently instead of as fast as possible.

Today's interesting advergame is CP3K [Free] courtesy of Nike, Chris Paul, and his new set of Jordan shoes which, like every year, look even sillier than last year's iteration. How do you mix shoes and a basketball player from the New Orleans Hornets in to a video game? Well, it has something to do with some kind of futuristic training simulator where Chris Paul himself (apparently equipped with his shoes) runs, jumps, and of course, executes wicked backboard-shattering dunks. This all is accomplished by tapping when you're running over pads that boost your speed, allow you to jump higher, or dunk. Otherwise, tapping just makes you jump.

Like most of these advergames, there's limited depth in the gameplay as the goal of CP3K is to sell you shoes. Still, you can replay the levels to beat your ghost, and there's a 3 star rating system depending on how quickly you're able to run and dunk your way through the 9 included levels. It's surprisingly fun for what it is, and the game is even universal. Virtual Chris Paul is animated quite well, and the soundtrack is this cool post-8-bit electronica with an R&B backbeat that's pretty catchy. It's under 25MB too, so iPhone owners can download it via 3G without issue.

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Gaming has grown exponentially over the course of the last 2+ years since the introduction of the App Store. Apple's iOS devices, with their touch screens and accelerometer/gyroscope capabilities, have given developers the opportunity to deliver gaming experiences that are unlike anything available on other platforms. And while there have been an incredible amount of unique games released for these devices, the popularity of the platform also brings a strong desire to see previously successful games ported over from other areas of gaming. Here is a selection of ports from 2010 that have found a new home on the App Store, and in many instances have even proved to be superior to their originals.

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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, $9.99 - [Lite / iPad] � [Review] � [Forum Thread] � It's GTA in your pocket, 'nuff said. Last January when it was released, it was impressive that the entirety of GTA: Chinatown Wars could be crammed into an iOS game, and it still impresses today. Basically it provides endless fun, much like with any GTA game where you can get lost in the thousands of interesting things to do in the huge open world. GTA on iOS isn't quite as pretty as the PSP version, but it's a huge step up from the original DS version and the virtual controls actually work pretty well. Plus, having a gigantic IP like Grant Theft Auto on the App Store was a huge boon for iOS gaming, further legitimizing it as a serious gaming platform.

STREET FIGHTER IV, $9.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � This isn't really a direct port, since so many technical changes were made to get it running well on iOS, but it's definitely an impressive version of the console games. Fighting games are meant for physical controls, but the virtual controls here actually work far better than I ever dreamed that they could. If you're expecting the iOS version of Street Fighter IV to be the definitive experience, or the replacement to your console game, then you will be disappointed. If you're just looking to have a highly playable and fun version that can fit in your pocket, then it delivers in spades. The amount of support this title has received, getting numerous feature updates and roster additions, has made it a solid investment during its lifespan on the App Store.

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, $4.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Similar to Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, this title is impressive because it is essentially the entire console experience shrunk down and on your iOS device. Here you'll find all of the same levels, dozens of playable characters, and humorous cutscenes that you would find in Lego Harry Potter on other platforms. The original release had some problems with clunky controls, but it has since been updated with a virtual d-pad and context sensitive buttons that have really improved the experience.

Osmos, $0.99 - [iPad] � [Review] � [Forum Thread] -�One of the most critically acclaimed indie titles on Mac and PC in 2009 made its way to the iPad in July of this year. Osmos is one of those titles that feels like it was made for a touch screen, and after owning the Steam version on my laptop, moving to the iOS version felt like an upgrade. The slow paced gameplay and calming atmosphere of Osmos isn't for everyone, but to those that enjoy it the iPad version is quite possibly the definitive experience. Later in the year, the developers ported the game for the iPhone as well, and took great care in subtly tweaking certain aspects to assure it felt good on the smaller screen. Really, no matter which version you play, Osmos is stellar from top to bottom.

World of Goo, $9.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] -�Originally a Nintendo Wii game, and later ported to desktops, World of Goo is another critically acclaimed title that feels more at home on a touch screen, even more significantly than Osmos does. Fans had been speculating an iOS port of World of Goo ever since the App Store launched, given how suitable a touch control scheme would be for the game, and it was even officially announced by developer 2D Boy way back in the Fall of last year. It sort of fell off the radar for quite a while, but at long last World of Goo finally hit the iPad this month, and it was even better than anyone could imagine. An iPhone port may still appear someday, but if you're an iPad owner and you don't yet own World of Goo, you're missing out on one of the finest examples of gaming on the platform.

Game Dev Story, $3.99 - [Lite - [Review] � [Forum Thread] � This is technically a port of a 1996 PC game, but not very many people outside of Japan would come to know it until its iOS debut this year. The crazy thing is that it's not even that great of a port. The aspect ratio of the screen is wrong for the iOS devices, the graphics haven't been enhanced whatsoever, and the touch screen controls are only minimally optimized. Game Dev Story overcomes all of these hurdles, however, by having some of the most engaging gameplay that I've ever seen. It's an experience that seems better on mobile, as I can't really imagine sitting at my computer playing this game. But on my phone, I almost couldn't stop playing as it was so accessible, and for that reason alone it remains one of the best iOS ports in the App Store.

Plants vs. Zombies, $2.99 - [iPad] � [Review] � [Forum Thread] � PopCap is known for having some of the most successful casual games on Mac and PC, and they have had a great presence on the App Store as well. Earlier this year they brought one of their most popular games to iOS in Plants vs. Zombies, and its already huge fan-base was more than happy to push it into the top of the charts where it has held a steady position ever since. In many ways, this defense game feels more at home on the touch screen, and aside from having to remove the Michael Jackson zombie from the game, PopCap has done an excellent job porting Plants vs. Zombies to iOS.

Robot Unicorn Attack, $0.99 - [iPad] � [Review] � [Forum Thread] � While not the first "running game" by a long shot, Robot Unicorn Attack executes the formula so well that its remained one of the best ones for the better part of 2010. The speed progression feels perfect, the jumping and double-jumping is spot on, and the ability to dash adds a layer of complexity to the gameplay. The visuals that mimic an eight year old girl's wildest fantasy and a soundtrack that loops Erasure's Always are what push Robot Unicorn Attack into the upper stratosphere of excellence. The simple two button control scheme works perfectly on a touch screen, and this is a solid port from Adult Swim's extensive Flash game library.

Solipskier, $0.99 - [Review] � [Forum Thread] -�While originally a Flash game, I had never heard of Solipskier until it appeared on iOS. After trying out the Flash version, I realized that once again, Solipskier is a game that is much more appropriate on a touch screen than anywhere else. The concept has you holding down on the screen to draw the slope your tiny skier travels on, and it feels incredibly organic with touch controls. The scoring system is complex without being overwhelming, and creating jumps that launch your skier high in the air while speeding at an incredible clip is exhilarating. Solipskier is the kind of game that seems so simple on the surface, but rewards players that invest the time to discover all of the depth and little details within its gameplay, and the iOS port feels like the way the developers intended it to be played.

Age of Zombies™, $0.99 - [Lite] � [Review] � [Forum Thread] � Most gamers within our particular realm hadn't heard of Halfbrick Studios until their mega-success Fruit Ninja captured all of our fruit-slicing hearts, but in actuality they have been creating games for various platforms for nearly a decade. After achieving huge download numbers with two original iOS titles, Halfbrick brought their well-received PSP Mini title Age of Zombies to the App Store. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Age of Zombies is yet another title that was actually better on iOS than it was on its original platform. This colorful dual-stick shooter featured improved graphics, slightly tweaked UI and gameplay elements, and most significantly a much more intuitive control scheme. While dual-stick shooters are nothing new to the App Store, the simple ability to use two virtual sticks as opposed to the single analog nub of the PSP made Age of Zombies a better experience on iOS.

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There are many more examples of solid ports, too many to name actually. The list here is filled with mostly contemporary games, but the App Store is also a goldmine of classic titles that have found new life on iOS. There is the wonderfully remastered Monkey Island 2 Special Edition; Riven: The Sequel to Myst; timeless console RPGs Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II, and Secret of Mana; and many more. While I'm always excited to see games that utilize iOS devices in new and interesting ways, there is also a lot to be said for having some of my favorite games from other platforms available in my pocket at any time. It's even introduced me to games that I might not otherwise have ever played were it not for their being available on my iPhone. With so many solid ports in 2010, I can't wait to see what other excellent multiplatform games end up residing on the App Store in the coming new year. <!-- PHP 5.x -->

Last week we posted about the Indie iPhone Holiday Sale, a joint effort from six developers, each with fantastic indie titles, to raise money for Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity. It really doesn't get more win/win than this. For $6, you get six great games, and some of the proceeds go to helping improve the quality of life of kids in hospitals across America.

The following games are still on sale until the 2nd of January:

• Canabalt, by Semi Secret Software � Review
• Solipskier, by�Mikengreg � Review
• Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, by�Tiger Style Games � Review
• Osmos, by�Hemisphere Games � Review
• Eliss, by�Steph Thirion � Review
• Drop7, by�Area/Code Inc. � Review

To celebrate raising so much cash for kids in need, Semi Secret Software made a substantial announcement: Canabalt is now totally open source via the MIT license. This is the full latest version of the game that hasn't even been approved yet on the App Store which features some pretty sick OpenGL optimizations I've been told, allowing the game to run at 60fps on recent devices.

If you're a pioneering iOS developer, check out the source here. The license they're using is open enough that you can basically use the game engine for anything you want, provided you're not redistributing the game code, graphics, or sound. This really makes me wonder if we'll see a Canabalt spinoff that features all the unanswered suggestions from our forums.

Either way, this is great news for the developers participating in the sale, developers who are interested in looking under the hood of Canabalt, and most importantly: The kids benefitting from these donations.

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It's still incredible to me how far portable devices have come. I clearly remember thinking just how fantastically awesome my original Gameboy was in in 1989, and how I could never look at my old Tiger Electronics LCD and older LED-based handhelds the same ever again. If you would have told me back then that I'd have an all in one device that not only had a pixel density higher than my eye was even capable of seeing, but it was also constantly connected to the Internet, allowing me to download high quality games over the air… Well, I'd probably ask you what "the Internet" is.

While we finalize our game of the year picks, we thought it was important to mention the games that pushed the technical limits of the iOS platform even further. We've covered these games at length before, but all of them clearly stick out as the titles that we'll remember for pushing the boundaries of our iPhones in 2010, and are worth picking up if you want to see what your device is capable of:

Graphics: Infinity Blade, $5.99 & RAGE HD, $1.99 � "Console quality graphics" is a phrase often thrown around on our forums, and it wasn't until Rage and Infinity Blade that I could ever really got behind describing anything that way. Both games flat out look incredible, and we cannot wait to see what comes of both Epic's Unreal Engine and Id's IdTech engine on the iOS platform in 2011. This seems like the tip of the iceberg, as the potential both engines have once developers really start getting the hang of them is out of this world.

Game World: Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD � There have been many RPGs released since the inception of the App Store, but none have this level of depth and complexity. Before we found ourselves immersed in Aralon, we thought game worlds this expansive were going to be reserved for the PC and home consoles. Being able to take the whole universe of Aralon with you in your pocket is awesome, and now that Crescent Moon has upped the ante this far, we're extremely excited of what other developers release to up it even further in 2011.

Multiplayer: Real Racing 2, $9.99 � I still remember just how blown away I was when I played my first online game of Mario Kart on the Nintendo DS in 2005, and the crazy WiFi setup it required. (No WPA, still!) Fast forward five years, and we're playing 16 player online races via 3G networks anywhere that you've got cellular service and enough battery left to play. The matchmaking in Real Racing 2 works well, and is fast enough to be able to play a quick race whenever you have a few minutes to spare.

Similarly, games like Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus [$6.99 / Lite / HD] and N.O.V.A. 2 [$6.99 / HD] bring familiar console-like FPS multiplayer experiences with increasing player limits and game types with each iteration. The advent of Game Center and how developers are pushing both the complexity of multiplayer games and the number of players playing at once upward, 2011 should be incredible.

What's even more amazing is considering that we're basically in the middle of the fourth generation iPod touch, iPhone 4, and iPad product cycles. There's so much more these devices are capable of, and it's hard to even imagine what their successors will be able to do. 2010 was filled with advancements both in iOS hardware and software, I can't wait to see what happens next year.

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Rovio has put us in an interesting predicament with our end of the year coverage. It's impossible to not somehow mention Angry Birds [99� / Lite / HD], but strictly speaking, it is a game released in 2009. December 10th, 2009, to be exact. The game's appearance on the App Store was without much fanfare, as it was (and still is) published under Chillingo's Clickgamer brand. Established in late May of 2009, Clickgamer is Chillingo's secondary brand to offload casual titles and other games they wouldn't label as an "AAA title" like iDracula [99�], and other top games of the time.

From the original press release:

"This moves allows Chillingo to focus the Chillingo brand on AAA titles, and at the same time allow us to leverage our marketing resources to promote clickgamer.com to support the publishing of high quality titles across various genres in the App Store" said Joe Wee, Director and co-founder of Chillingo.

Chillingo's decision to relegate Angry Birds to the Clickgamer brand seems to be a clear indication that they had few expectations of the game which has since become their flagship title, and likely played a major role as a bargaining chip when EA acquired Chillingo for $20m. Looking back at the original thread on our forums and our own review, Angry Birds was unanimously loved, but many mentioned there "only" being 63 levels and the lack of any kind of online leaderboards as things that detracted from the game.

Obviously, Rovio didn't give up on Angry Birds, they stuck to their guns and released a constant stream of updates through 2010. Angry Birds charted in one way or another since its release, but it wasn't until late February that it got a foothold on the top of the charts� A position it's more or less held on to since then. A HD iPad version later appeared, as did a new self-published seasonal game, Angry Birds Seasons [99� / HD] which has enjoyed similar success.

Graph courtesy of AppAnnie

Rovio has basically rewritten the definition of success both on the App Store and in the world of Android. Earlier this month they announced that they've reached 50 million downloads, and in a recent interview with Tech n' Marketing mentioned that over 80% of people keep the game installed. Some other amazing statistics are mentioned in the same interview. 200 million minutes of Angry Birds is played every day which compares favorably to basically every other form of visual entertainment including primetime television.

Next year Rovio has plans to bring Angry Birds to home consoles, and in a interview with the BBC, they even confirmed a sequel was in the works. While Rovio remains guarded with their exact plans for 2011, the fact remains: With a pool of millions of Angry Birds fans, anything they release will likely also rocket to the top of the charts.

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