Top Android Games by Category

Hop into a virtual cockpit – on earth or in space – to enjoy this week’s list of the very best shooter games for your Android device.

From old school space invaders offered up in two distinct, fresh flavors (original and extra-neon), to a bevy of plane shooters that will challenge even the most experienced gamers, you’ll be addressing any pressing alien extermination needs and punching holes in enemy aircraft in no time, on the go.

ANDROID APPS

Invadroid: A retro gamers delight – Space Invaders on your Android phone, anytime, anywhere. Let’s call it “original” flavor…

Radiant HD: A neon-flavored scoop of Space Invaders, served in a tasty cone sporting a full graphical redesign and tons of upgrades.

Sky Force: Dodge and roll your plane across colorful battlefields in this addictive, no-cost vertical shooter.

Sky Force Reloaded: Take the Skyforce to the next level, adding fresh graphics, additional levels, and more.

MiniSquadron!: There’s nothing small about this crazy-fun 2D side-scrolling arcade shooter. With more planes than you can shake a stick at, amazing graphics, and tons of replayability, it’s time to take to the skies!

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

ANDROID REVIEWS

Invadroid (FREE)

I’m old enough to remember playing my very first game of Space Invaders, on the Atari 2600 if memory serves. Fast-forward a mere 32 years to today, with the fine gentleman at Sprakelsoft.com successfully porting the original (with some distinctive graphical upgrades) to the Android platform. Invadroid is free, ad-supported, and every bit as fun as the original. Can you take out all the aliens before they reach your bases? Of course you can. Remember to take cover under the bunkers above you, dodge incoming fire, and stay frosty. Control your space plane with your D-pad or touch points on the screen. We’ll call this the “original” flavor of Space Invaders…

Radiant HD

Radiant (in both its free and HD iterations) offers up a tighter, “neon-flavored” version of Space Invaders, enhancing the alien enemies and obstacles with painfully bright-colored edges. Even your little ship is a luminous white, moving cleanly across the play field to dodge asteroids, shoot up the marching aliens, taking out flying saucers, and handling the bosses high above. Just like the original, you’ll need quick reflexes to take out your enemies and grab falling bonuses and credits to purchase upgrades and more. Toss in a quality soundtrack, a full story mode complete with text bubbles (and embedded hints), plus truly radiant graphics from start to finish, and you’ve got yourself a tasty alien shooter treat that keeps on giving.

Sky Force ($3.12) & Sky Force Reloaded ($3.12)

Since the early days of Galaga in the local arcade, we’ve been blasting away at never-ending streams of enemies who vertically come our way at us down the screen. Sky Force and Sky Force Reloaded brings this familiar top-down vertical shooter, with its familiar dodge, roll, and shoot-fest controls, to your Android device. You’ll auto-fire your way through each level, keeping a close eye on the percentage meter. Didn’t take down enough baddies? Too bad, start over kid. And don’t get cocky, because this app gets crazy-hard on, well, Hard mode. Drag your fighter over the battlefield to collect power ups and shield boosts, all while taking in the scenery. So if you’re itching to take on an entire army all by yourself, give Sky Force an install. Once you max out the levels, grab Reloaded to revel in upgrade graphics and additional levels.

MiniSquadron! ($2.99)

This action-packed, loopy and luscious arcade shooter features 50 fabulous mini planes and eight levels of crazy-fun combat. Sporting wifi multiplayer ability, MiniSquadron! successfully boils down the flight sim experience into a 2D side-scroller with uber-responsive multi-touch controls. In fact, the easy control scheme will keep your plane flying right, and if you hit the sides, no worries – you automatically loop back into the playing field. Later levels offer up a massive amount of silly-fun laser beams, cluster bombs, missiles, and more. These tend to cause considerable friendly fire among your AI foes, adding some comic relief to the mayhem at times. Blast everything in sight, enjoy the crash and plane destruction effects, and revel in each unlocked plane and gadget. There are many hours of game play waiting for you in this welcome addition to the Android Marketplace collection of quality games. Give the LITE version a try, and you’ll quickly want the $3 full version.