We can look forward to an exciting year of new iPhone and iPod Touch games in 2010, but I'd like to talk about some of the best games and game-related applications from 2009. I played a lot of outstanding games, but these stand out in my mind. In no particular order, here are my favorites from 2009:

Space Invaders Infinity Gene

After reinventing Space Invaders with Space Invaders Extreme, it seems Taito decided to try another direction with Space Invaders Infinity Gene. Unlike other versions of Space Invaders, the ship in Infinity Gene can move in all directions, not just horizontally at the bottom of the screen. Infinity Gene starts out simple, but as you earn points after each level, a bar slowly fills. Each time it fills, an "evolution" is triggered, adding to the game. Most notably, additional ships with different types of firing are unlocked. Infinity Gene has crisp, retro graphics and awesome techno music, and it can be played with your own music as well. The game features tons of levels - 19 main levels, "extra levels" that can be unlocked, and levels generated from music from your library.

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

After almost 19 years since the release of the original The Secret of Monkey Island, the fantastic Special Edition, developed by LucasArts, came out in July. Monkey Island's interesting setting, fun puzzles, beautiful graphics and music, and witty writing made it, to me, the epitome of point-and-click adventure games. Point-and-click adventures work very well with the iPhone's touchscreen, and I hope to see more on the iPhone in the future. In The Secret of Monkey Island, you control Guybrush Threepwood on his adventure that starts because of one simple wish: Guybrush wants to be a pirate! The Special Edition release features updated graphics that are gorgeous. Fortunately for those who like the original look, swiping across the screen with two fingers at any time will change graphics to the original game's graphics. Amazingly, the graphics are wonderful even in the original settings, although this might not be that amazing to people who remember how great the original game was!

Atsumari

If you're looking for a great puzzle game that you can enjoy leisurely, Atsumari is the game for you! Provided by Quadratic Games, Atsumari is an elegant game featuring a number of blank, adjacent hexagons. Using only a few, simple rules, you're tasked with solving each puzzle by determining which hexagons should be black and which hexagons should be white. There are three basic rules to Atsumari. First, a hexagon with a number inside must be part of a cluster of the designated number of white hexagons. Second, all black hexagons must be touching. Finally, black hexagons can't be grouped in a larger, hexagon-shaped cluster of seven hexagons. Atsumari features calming, nature photos as backgrounds and tranquil Asian-inspired music. There are 125 levels of varying difficulty in the game, and Atsumari stays fun the entire time! It's a very relaxing game that definitely requires a bit of reasoning and strategy. I enjoyed playing it alone quietly, yet it was also a lot of fun to play with another person after quickly explaining the rules. Atsumari is perfect if you enjoy calm games of logic!

Rat on the Run

Rat on the Run, by Donut Games, is a platforming game with a slight twist - you can only control when you jump. In the game, you control a rat whose goal is to collect cheese. The rat simply walks forward automatically, only stopping when he walks into a stop sign. You can make him jump by touching the screen; the longer you hold your finger down, the higher the rat will jump. When he stops at a stop sign, you can choose when he will start moving again as well as the direction in which he'll walk. Depending on how quickly you finish, you can earn between one and three stars per stage. While finishing a level isn't too challenging, earning three stars requires very precise control. I really loved the precision required. Some levels require perfect plays to get three stars. I attempted to earn three stars in every level although I'm still one star short!

World of Warcraft Mobile Armory

The World of Warcraft Mobile Armory, by Blizzard Entertainment, is the perfect companion to WoW for players who also have an iPhone or iPod Touch. The Mobile Armory brings the information of wowarmory.com with you wherever you go. I'm sure a lot of World of Warcraft players would like to distance themselves from the concept of the addicted MMO fan who can't be away from his or her game, but having the information from the Armory at your fingertips can be quite useful for WoW players. The Mobile Armory gives you all the information you need on your characters, including stats, gear, talents, achievements, and your calendar (which can be very handy to check when away from the computer if you raid). As a WoW player myself, I'm very pleased with the Mobile Armory.

GameCenter

GameFly's GameCenter provides a wealth of information on the majority of retail video games. GameCenter provides news, screenshots, and even videos from many games. In addition, you can look up specific games to read a description, check specs, find a cheat, or read a review. This is all useful, but what I especially like is the ability to add games to your game queue if you're a GameFly member. GameFly is a website that, for a monthly fee, allows you to add games to your game queue that you'd like you rent. The plan I use allows me to have one game out at a time, so when I return a game, GameFly sends me the first available game from my queue. I've often been in a store and had to remember which games interested me so I could add them to my queue when I got home. With GameCenter, I can easily look up information on games that I see in the store, and if I choose, I can quickly add them to my game queue. While an account with GameFly has a monthly subscription and is required to rent games, GameCenter is free and is still useful for those without an account. If you do, however, have a GameFly account, then this application should definitely be on your iPhone.