The Best Apps Based on Video Games

With 2018 seeing the release of some of the most high-budget, innovative games in history, and the entire industry kicking it up a notch by seamlessly integrating top-of-the-line AI and 3D graphics into mainstream titles, it can be all too easy to forget where this all started. The video game industry kicked off in earnest back in the 1970s, and since then, there have been countless storylines and characters which have gone on to help define and exemplify mainstream culture. Luckily, these cultural icons haven't disappeared, and in the newest frontier for gaming - mobile gaming - some of video gaming's biggest heavy hitters are reappearing on our iPhone screens in creative and quirky ways. Here's a round-up of some of the best apps based on popular video games.

Pokemon Go!

Probably one of the most popular and talked-about app releases of the past decade, Pokemon Go completely changed how we play on our phones, integrating the gameplay into every aspect of our daily lives by allowing users to hunt for Pokemon in different real-life locations. Who can forget the endless newsreel footage of Pokemon hunters listlessly roaming around shopping centre car parks trying to catch themselves a Charizard? Pokemon and the bright yellow mascot Pikachu are undeniably some of the most iconic cultural developments of all time, with the original Pikachu from the 1998 Gameboy release being just as instantly recognisable today as ever.

Sonic Runners Adventure

Sonic, the speedy blue hedgehog that has spawned over 50 video game titles over the past few years, has finally made his mark on the mobile world with this hugely popular app. Over the course of the evolution of gaming, Sonic appears at pretty much every level, starting at the coin-operated arcades on the 80s, and continuing today in high-budget releases for the latest consoles. Sonic Runners Adventure is classic Sonic distilled into a mobile-friendly platform, allow you to tilt your smartphone as you collect those precious rings, hunt for chaos emeralds, and fight off Dr Eggman.

Super Mario Run

There are few game characters more well-known than Mr Mario himself and, unsurprisingly, fans of the franchise had been begging Nintendo for an app release for years. Their relentless demands were finally met when they recently brought out Super Mario Run, which allows players to re-live that classic Mario nostalgia-fest of childhood, playing through iconic levels such as Mushroom Forrest and Bowser's Castle. This is Mario in its purest form, and with rumours swirling of a Mario Kart app on the way, we should expect to see a lot more if this moustached legend in the future.

Resident Evil

Resident Evil, the heart-stopping zombie shooter, finally has an app. Although not in the same vein as the classic console and arcade games, this unique app allows users to compare their stats across all of the Resident Evil titles, as well as access resources about the fictional universe of the Umbrella Corporation and Racoon City. Definitely one for the die-hard fans only.

If you have any video game apps you think deserve a shout-out, let us know in the comments!