One of the great things about iOS and the App Store has been that it's allowed plenty of unique new ideas from small developers no one had ever heard of, which has brought about plenty of fun titles that might not have ever existed. However, fun games are fun games, even if they're from franchises that have been kicking around before some of us were even born. With that in mind, here are 4 of the finest examples of established gaming franchises making appearances on iOS.
Street Fighter IV: Playing a fighting game on a touch screen seems like a bad idea - until you actually play this version of the most recent major Street Fighter game on your device. The on-screen joystick is nothing short of a miracle - all the special moves are easily executed in an accurate way using just a virtual joystick, which is just another knock against the Xbox 360 controller's terrible d-pad. While the character roster is smaller than the console versions, Capcom has added characters since its release, almost doubling the original roster, along with Game Center achievement support. And of course, there's Bluetooth multiplayer for beating up your friends in ways that are less likely to damage your relationship or get you arrested.
Space Invaders Infinity Gene: This starts out looking and playing like the original Space Invaders game. Within minutes, the game is something else entirely, a shoot 'em up that is intense and visually dynamic. The game is just familiar enough to make you feel comfortable, but this game takes Space Invaders in a direction you may have never imagined it going, and it makes for a great shoot 'em up experience. The game has also gotten Game Center and Universal app support since its release, so if you haven't checked it out lately, it's worth picking up again.
NBA Jam: The classic arcade basketball game has been revived on iOS by EA. Everything that made the game so great back when it came out in the early '90s, from the flashy dunks, enthusiastic commentary from Tim Kitzrow, the thrill of hitting a three-point shot from the other side of the court to win a game, and the ability to play as a variety of characters who would otherwise be odd fits in realistic basketball games are all here. The controls are part of what make this game play so well on iOS - either the virtual buttons or gesture-based system both work well to play the game. The whole game still feels as fun as it did back when it first came out, and it feels remarkably fresh just because there's been little else like it in recent years.
Pac-Man Championship Edition: Pac-Man might be the first game many people remember ever playing - the formula of ghosts, dots and power pellets is ingrained into people's skulls by this point. What can you change to make the formula fresh? Well, how about the levels? By introducing dynamic levels that change as you clear out the board, the experience becomes something completely different, and with the ability to rack up even bigger point bonuses by continuously eating ghosts when you have the power pellet (since they are more plentiful due to them replenishing every time you eat a fruit to refresh one half of the board), you get a game that feels familiar but fresh, just as great entry in a licensed series should feel.
