Top Android Games by Category

With the pro football season pressing full-steam ahead, the World Cup and World Series a recent memory, and plenty of hockey games left before the Stanley Cup playoffs, there’s never been a better time to grab the best Android apps catering to these favorite past times.

Toss in the very best fishing simulator for a mobile device, and you’ve got yourself a solid list of the top sports apps for the Droid.

ANDROID APPS

Backbreaker Football: Boils down the NFL experience to its most intense. Can you run the ball back for a touchdown?

FIFA 10 by EA Sports: Action-packed, customizable European football action on your Android device, minus the vuvuzelas.

Fishin’ 2 Go: I’d trade the best day at the office for the worst day of virtual fishing with this worthy smart phone fishing simulator.

Baseball Superstars 2010: Batter up anywhere, anytime with this feature-rich baseball blaster.

Hockey Nations 2010: Hit the ice with this six-on-six hockey arcade classic. Master the controls and go for the hat trick!

Read all of my past Android app reviews at Appolicious and Yahoo! Tech -- click here.

ANDROID APP REVIEWS

Backbreaker Football ($2.99)
Football season is half-spent, talk of the playoffs is in the air, and there’s never been a better time to get your spin/juke fix while on the go via Backbreaker Football. Unlike its console counterparts, which can take weeks or months to master (think Madden’s maddening array of control options on both sides of the ball), this Android app is all about simple, fun arcade pigskin action. Forget even mastering basic or advanced plays on defense or routes on offense.

In Backbreaker, you’re dropped right into the action as a receiver. You’ll need to use the accelerometer (think tilt) on your phone to spin, juke, or side step your way through oncoming defenders.

Can you avoid the rush, breakaway from the pack, and score perfect touchdowns, complete with showboat moves?

FIFA 10 by EA Sports ($4.99)
The World Cup may be over, but the soccer action never stops on your Android phone. FIFA 10 delivers the total soccer experience, crammed onto your phone’s small screen. And therein lies the only real problem with the game – players are so small and rendered in such a way as it’s hard to tell one player from the next.

Once you get into a match, however, the app comes to life. Once you learn the controls, moving the ball up the field, taking shots on goal, and taking a few penalty shots adds up to a ton of footie fun. With tournament, manager, “be a pro,” training, penality, and friendly modes, along with integrated multiplayer modes and special rewards and profiles, there’s something here for ever soccer fan. Except, thankfully, vuvuzela’s.

Fishin' 2 Go ($2.25)
We’ve all played flight simulators. You know, where you take control of photo-realistic planes and pretend to know what all those buttons and dials do? Fishin’ 2 Go, believe it or not, is a fishing simulator. You’re confronted with images of a real-life lake. After choosing your lure and bait, it’s time to get it wet. To cast your line, hold your finger down on the screen, tilt your phone back as if you’re getting ready to cast, then move your arm forward to send your line flying into the water. To reel in your line, drag your finger across the screen until you get a bite. Tire the fish and keep your ‘taughtness’ level out of the red and you’ll bring home quite the catch. With multiple waterways to choose from, realistic sounds and water effects, and tons of gear choices to make, now you don’t even have to leave the office to go fishing.

Baseball Superstars 2010 ($4.99)
If baseball is your sport of choice, Baseball Superstars 2010 should be on your phone. No other baseball app offers so many game modes – exhibition, season, My League, homerun race, mission, match play – along with the ability to customize six players.

During play, there are dozens of unique items to unlock, along with hidden characters and even entire teams to uncover. Match Play offers one of the most compelling game play options, allowing you to go head to head against another online player, taking turns to hit/defend. Plus, the ever-present leaderboard allows you to post your wins for all the world to see. If you can get over the cartoonish character renderings, this will be your go-to baseball app for months to come.

Hockey Nations 2010 ($4.99)
Like Backbreaker Football, Hockey Nations is an arcade simulation catering to hockey fans everywhere. Gone are the litany of controls in the console offerings, instead this beauty of an app delivers a solid six on six 3D experience.

With some serious practice with the controls (think touchpad, touchscreen, and D-Pad), and tweaks to the rules in the options menu, you’ll be high-sticking your way to a goal before you know it. Quick Play, Exhibition, Practice, League, and Tournament modes are available, with 14 national teams from around the world pre-loaded for your hockey pleasure.