Six iOS Games to Get You Ready for Thanksgiving

At this point in the month, you or at least a few people you know are probably getting ready to scramble around (or are already scrambling around) for Thanksgiving Dinner. It's a hectic day of precise oven utilization, but there's also the whole family and camaraderie thing.

We've already put together a handy list of useful apps that should make your Thanksgiving a breeze, but what if you want to unwind while staying in the holiday spirit or practice for the insanity that is to come? Well you're in luck, because now we've got a list of a half-dozen iOS games that evoke all sorts of Thanksgiving feelings - both heartwarming and... well, not so heartwarming.

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Bound for a New world

Lest we forget - despite the millions upon millions of middle school plays about it - the reason we devour so much turkey and corn around this time of year is because a bunch of bright-eyed adventurers decided to plant their roots on another continent. I'm sugarcoating things, of course, but what better way to experience that (probably non-existent given their circumstances) high seas adventure than with Sid Meier's Pirates!?

Settling a New and Dangerous Land

Once these settlers ("pilgrims," if you will) successfully made landfall, they still had to work on colonizing their new home. It involved a lot of building, farming, hunting, and quite possibly (don't quote me on this) fighting off zombie hordes and exploding shrub monsters. Just like Minecraft - Pocket Edition when you think about it.

Meat and Veggies

Jokes about zombies aside, it was undoubtedly a harsh life. At least for a while. Then they had to focus on maintaining their food supplies, which makes Agricola seem like a perfect fit. I mean it's a game that's all about looking after your family, planting and harvesting crops, caring for livestock, and competing with your neighbors over resources. It's practically "Thanksgiving: The Board Game."

Cross-Country Road Trips

Nowadays things are a lot easier, but for those of us with extended family there's still the looming threat of the cross-country road trip. Organ Trail: Director's Cut does a fantastic job of simulating that yearly tradition of stuffing your family into a station wagon and driving for what feels like a combination of an eternity and an afternoon spent in jury duty. It even manages to incorporate the random broken limbs.

Avoiding Awkward Family Members

Big family gatherings always - always - have that one relative that's a bit odd, too fanatical about politics, or wants to kiss everyone. So you can hone your bear hug avoidance skills by playing PAC-MAN Championship Edition. Actually, it's a good way to practice both avoiding family and stuffing your face with power pellets turkey at the same time.

Fighting Through Retail Crowds

Once all the thanks has been given, and you're left with a bunch of useless belts and enough leftovers to go a month without grocery shopping, it'll be time to take advantage of all those Black Friday sales. Personally I prefer to stay home, but if you must nimbly dodge through hordes of deal-seekers you might want to practice first with a game like Tilt to Live 2: Redonkulous.