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Asphalt 8: Airborne, D&D Lords of Waterdeep, and Reaper are the top-reviewed iOS and Android games of 2013

Critical acclaim

Asphalt 8: Airborne, D&D Lords of Waterdeep, and Reaper are the top-reviewed iOS and Android games of 2013

So, what will the year 2013 be remembered for, huh? The death of a cultural icon? The revelation that the NSA knows everything about you (and me)? The ridiculous rise of selfies?

Who knows. Who cares.

Some things we DO care about, though, are the best-reviewed mobile games of last year. Ah, seamless. What were they, then, eh?

To answer that very question (how convenient!), here are the iPhone, iPad, and Android Quality Index (Qi) round-ups for 2013.

Aggregating the reviews from the world's best websites, such as Pocket Gamer, 148Apps, and Gamezebo, the Quality Index uses a unique metric to create a single definitive score for each iOS and Android title.

Taking off

According to the Qi spider-bots, Asphalt 8: Airborne was the best-reviewed iPhone (AND iPad) game of 2013.

In Gameloft's latest tyre squealer, the French studio manages to get to the heart of the arcade racer experience right there on your mobile.

Sorry, folks, we didn't have to go fishing for any compliments concerning Ridiculous Fishing.

It seems everyone has just fallen for Vlambeer's casual classic hook, line, and sinker. Ahem.

Qi's Top 10 iPhone games of 2013

Pos.

Game

Qi ratingReviews
1. Asphalt 8: Airborne
9.414
2. D&D Lords of Waterdeep
9.47
3. The Silent Age
9.47
4. Perfect Hit!
9.43
5. QuizCross
9.43
6. Ridiculous Fishing
9.321
7. DEVICE 6
9.310
8. Ending
9.33
9. 4 Pics 1 Word
9.33
10. Tiny Games
9.23

 


Close behind Gameloft's high-energy arcade racing game on the iPad Qi game of the year leaderboard is D&D Lords of Waterdeep.

This is a marvellous conversion by Playdek of a quirky fantasy boardgame. It's deep, alright. Trust me.

At #6, meanwhile, is Simogo. With DEVICE 6, the Swedish team straddles the divide between e-book and video game like nothing else we've ever seen.

The writing was on the wall that this was going to be great, and so it proved.

Qi's Top 10 iPad games of 2013

Pos.

Game

Qi ratingReviews
1. Asphalt 8: Airborne
9.414
2. D&D Lords of Waterdeep
9.47
3. The Silent Age
9.47
4. Perfect Hit!
9.43
5. Ridiculous Fishing
9.321
6. DEVICE 6
9.310
7. Ending
9.33
8. 4 Pics 1 Word
9.33
9. Drive on Moscow
9.26
10. Tiny Games
9.23

 


There are no two ways about it: Reaper was the best-reviewed Android game of 2013.

For this one, the action-RPG genre is given the proper idiosyncratic Hexage treatment, with typically stunning results.

Following closely behind that is Time Surfer. Here, Kumobius takes the established Tiny Wings endless-runner template and stirs in psychedelic visuals and a time-warping mechanic. Trippy.

Plants vs Zombies 2 has managed to shuffle into the top ten at #9, with its somewhat controversial IAP structure failing to spoil an otherwise-excellent tower defence follow-up.

Finally, the maker of Freeze! solidified its position in 10th place through some clever screen-twisting puzzler gameplay and a moody monochrome art style.

Qi's Top 10 Android games of 2013

Pos.

Game

Qi ratingReviews
1. Reaper
9.54
2. Time Surfer
9.53
3. You Don't Know Jack
9.53
4. Ending
9.43
5. FlowDoku
9.33
6. Spaceward Ho!
9.23
7. Slingshot Racing
9.23
8. Super Grid Run
9.23
9. Plants vs Zombies 2
9.14
10. Freeze!
9.14

N.B. While we only display the average score to one decimal place, the lists are generated to further significant figures. We just don't show them all.

And, naturally, these are static graphs based on live listings which are subject to constant change as new releases and reviews emerge.

In order to provide a regular marker of the critical zeitgeist, however, we will continue to round up the best of the iOS and Android games released each month to provide definitive Quality Index top tens throughout 2014.

iPhone Qi
/ iPad Qi / Android Qi


Jon is a consummate expert in adventure, action, and sports games. Which is just as well, as in real life he's timid, lazy, and unfit. It's amazing how these things even themselves out.