5 of the best looking games for Apple’s hi-definition iPad

Where can die-hard console gamers and iPad lovers agree? It’s hard to say, but Apple is appealing to both audiences with a new version of the iPad that boasts a touchscreen display with over three million pixels–more than the average HD device and more than what the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 can offer.

You don’t have to be a graphics whore to enjoy what companies will be delivering for the new iPad–in fact, everyone should be impressed by the performance of a state-of-the-art graphics card coupled with a higher definition image than anything we’ve seen before. With specs like this lined up, you can look forward to playing these games developed specifically for iPad’s powerful, lightweight screen.

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy

Namco Bandai is delivering one of two premier games utilizing the iPad’s A5 graphics chip and innovative resolution. This installment of the Sky Gamblers series is the company’s goal to create more dynamic and immersive gameplay on the tablet.

Putting players in the cockpit of a fighter jet is a common trope, but Air Supremacy enters the fray with graphics that render incredibly large cities and hosts of enemy planes like you’ve never seen before. Alternate camera angles engage when you want them to, and will often be part of the fun when you launch into evasive maneuvers.

The <3 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

The release date of this game was announced as sometime this month. Watch this video to check out the Sky Gamblers way of taking on an aircraft carrier below.

Infinite Blade: Dungeons

Another game for the Infinity Blade franchise was inevitable, but this beautifully rendered title will replace your expectations with a glazed look and some drooling. The recently released trailer is enough to convert anyone cynical of the iPad’s fantasy games.

The mountains and ruins are fantastically detailed and provide a great backdrop to the action you’ll be engaged in–say, crushing an undead warrior with your hammer like Thor on PCP, or unleashing a slurry of magic attacks that look so real you’d swear your iPad was really a +23 conjurer’s staff. The third-person view is different than the one used in Infinite Blade 2 and should give players more of a Torchlight feeling with less choppy maneuvering; you’ll still get a ton of sweet cinematic moments, like before.

Please don’t take my word for it on this one. The trailer is something you have to see with your own eyes.

Botanicula

Another game slated for release this month comes from the makers of Machinarium and promises a cutting and quirky hi-res experience. Botanicula will feature insectoid characters in a game of exploration with graphics of small environments.

In the game, you spend most of the game running around levels with a backdrop resembling what you see when a camera is in macro mode. Little floating particles are everywhere, and each scene is going to look razor sharp with the third iPad’s capabilities.

The game is chic, yet it comes with a sense of humor. Not much video is available online but the trailers give the impression that you can expect lots of goofy folio and mischief.

MechWarrior: Tactical Command

If Gundam Wing and Godzilla were mashed into the same universe and playable on a 2048 X 1536 screen, it might look something like Tactical Command. It will be awesome to watch the hits, shots, explosions, and overall destruction on an impressive screen like the iPad’s. What’s more is that the release date was announced as simply 2012, so Personae Studios will have time to develop a game that better uses the new iPad’s power.

The trailer looks great, but no gameplay available as of yet. You can see more here.

Osmos

This game is already released, but it deserves a mention here. It’s a nifty concept for an iPad game and will make good use of improved graphics. It’s been described as a puzzle game with “space amoebas” where the object is to become the most massive orb on the screen by moving at the expense of your own mass to absorb other masses–as if that makes any sense at all. Regardless of the fatally obscure description, it’s an awesome game, and will excel on the new display.

Check out some Osmos gameplay here.

With the iPad’s new screen, even older games will shine, but these candidates specifically approached their design with the new screen in mind. Their efforts, combined with Apple’s HD tablet, may finally produce something that hardcore console players and iPad enthusiasts can agree on.

Also read: Apple launches ‘Great apps for the New iPad’ section stocked with 24 Retina-ready choice and The brain science behind the iPad 3’s “Retina” display