Yes, the iPad can run most iPhone games, but with more screen real estate and a faster processor, the iPad could also make many of them better.
David Carnoy
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks.
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
ExpertiseVR and AR | Gaming | Metaverse technologies | Wearable tech | TabletsCredentials
Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Tiger Woods may not be hitting the real links anytime soon, but an iPad version of EA's golf franchise would be able to show off the green in far greater detail.
2 of 30Natenai Ariyatrakool
Air Hockey
Virtual air hockey gets more interesting when you move to bigger touch screens. While the iPad isn't table-size, we could see two people playing each other using a single iPad. Ping Pong and tennis could also get a boost when moving to the iPad.
3 of 30Gamespot
Civilization
Lots of folks are talking about how real-time strategy games would be well suited for porting to the iPad, making army mobilization as easy as pushing your finger. Big RTS franchises like Age of Empires and Civilization would be a great fit on a larger screen.
4 of 30Gamespot
Command and Conquer
Yes, C&C is another RTS, but it's worth highlighting on its own as a more dynamic, action-oriented game with lots of simultaneous action. We'd also like to see Company of Heroes make its way onto the iPad.
5 of 302XL Games
ATV Offroad (and other racing games)
While EA got its Need for Speed plug at launch, several iPhone racing titles should transition nicely over to the iPad. We like what 2XL has done on the iPhone and its racing games should get ported over quickly to the iPad. Jumbo versions of Mario Kart style titles like Shrek Karting should also make the jump.
6 of 30RedLynx Ltd
DrawRace
During the iPad launch event, Apple made a big deal about showing an example of a driving game (Need for Speed) on the iPad. But Draw Race, an innovative iPhone game that has you trace the path of your car, would be even more fun on a bigger screen, especially if tracks could be double or triple the size.
7 of 30Gamespot
Enigmo (and other puzzlers)
Innovative puzzlers like Enigmo should definitely benefit from a move to a bigger screen, enabling even bigger Rube Goldberg-style kinetic events.
8 of 30EA Mobile
Monopoly (and other board games)
Board games like Monopoly, Life, and Trivial Pursuit have done very well on the iPhone. They'll make a nice transition to the iPad along with stuff like Battleship, turning the iPad into a killer app for multiplayer virtual board games. We're still waiting for Risk.
9 of 30Zynga
Farmville
Popular Facebook games like Farmville seem primed for the bigger stage of the iPad. Resource management and icons will be much easier to depict on a 9.7-inch screen.
10 of 30Subatomic Studios
Field Runners (and other tower defense games)
Field Runners has had a great run on the iPhone. Tower-defense-based games like these are no brainers for the iPad, and an enhanced version feels like a must.
11 of 30EA Sports
FIFA 10
Soccer's actually translated pretty well to the iPhone. Being able to see more of the field would obviously help. Same goes for games like NBA Live and Madden, which would also benefit from a larger screen for playcalling.
12 of 30Firemint
Flight Control
A larger screen for a game like Flight Control means opportunities for even more complicated flight paths and level designs, or even multiplayer single-pad gameplay.
13 of 30Fish Labs
Galaxy on Fire
Hybrid space sims/shooters that incorporate some real-time strategy elements, would play even better on a bigger screen, maybe even using pop-out control menus.
14 of 30Phil Hassey
Galcon
This tower-defense game would be bigger and even more challenging on the iPad.
15 of 301024 Studios
Missile Defense
There's been a YouTube video going around where some guys are playing Missile Command on a huge touch screen. The iPad's not that big, but Missile Command-style games would be more appealing on a larger screen.
16 of 30Gameloft
Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail is decent on the iPhone, but with a larger device you could get more information on the screen and improve gameplay.
17 of 30Gamespot
Video pinball
The iPhone has a few video pinball games, but the move to a larger screen would make these types of games much more appealing.
18 of 30LucasArts
Secret of Monkey Island
Adventure games like Secret of Monkey Island would certainly benefit from a boost in screen size. They're also ideal for touch-screen play.
19 of 30Gamespot
Secret of Bryce Manor
This innovative iPhone adventure game that features a spider as the main character has received a lot of praise. Going bigger would make it that much better.
20 of 30Gamespot
Shuffleboard
Shuffleboard games--at least certain ones--play pretty well on the iPhone. But more screen would definitely enhance the experience. This would also be true for bowling, Skee-ball, and carnival games like Ramp Champ (and possibly, after the Olympics, curling).
21 of 30EA
Sim City
Sim City obviously would play much better on a larger screen, and the game's complicated data wouldn't be so squished.
22 of 30Sega
Super Monkey Ball
Tilt-based games are sometimes hard to control on the iPhone and iPod Touch. While graduating to a large screen wouldn't necessarily make things easier, there's something about Super Monkey Ball that seems like a perfect fit for larger-scale controls.
23 of 30EA
Sims 3
The Sims feels a little played out at this point, but the iPhone version still did pretty well--and moving to a bigger screen would be nice.
24 of 30Gamespot
Touch Grind
The original version of this cult iPhone/iPod Touch hit used your fingers to pull off tricks--on a big screen, you could even develop a title with multiple boards and two-handed/multiplayer action.
25 of 30Amazon
Wooden Labyrinth
There are already several takes on the classic tilting board game on the App Store, but an accelerometer-controlled version on a giant screen could finally be a true recreation of the larger-scale game we played in our basement in the 80s.
26 of 30PopCap
Plants vs. Zombies
PopCap's monstrously addictive tower defense variant is already great on the iPhone, but the iPad would be an even better way of matching the feel of the PC/Mac original.
27 of 30Big Huge Games
Settlers of Catan
Cheap ports of classic strategy games abound in the App Store, but few are multiplayer-friendly. Updating a new version of Klaus Teuber's brilliant board game would allow for a much more board-game-like feel, and a multiplayer mode closer to the one on Xbox Live Arcade.
28 of 30QuickHit
Quick Hit Football
While Madden and NFL 2010 already aim to provide console-style football gaming on a handheld, free multiplayer casual games like Quick Hit Football take an armchair-quarterback top-down approach to play calling. Porting this to the iPad would be a perfect way to casually play tablet pigskin.
29 of 30Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
GTA: Chinatown Wars has been around the block, carrying its retro top-down gaming to the Nintendo DS, PSP and iPhone/iPod Touch. On the iPad, however, one could theoretically keep heads-up maps side by side with the action, or whole new submenus and screens for managing phone calls and e-mails while driving.
30 of 30PopCap
Peggle
We'll admit it, we're still completely addicted to Peggle. The iPhone and iPod Touch version is admirable, but it squeezes a lot into a small space. Amping the graphics and animation in a full version would be fantastic.
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