Top 5 Must Have Games for iPad 2

Maybe you've heard, but there is a little known gadget called the iPad 2 which was released just about....now. It's Apple's sequal to the incredibly successful iPad and based on early reviews, it's quite a lot more powerful.

Apple claims that the iPad 2 features "up to 2x faster CPU" and "up to 9x faster graphics" when compared to the original. What this translates to really is better looking, better running games. Instead of boring you with the pixels and ploygon counts, and other incomprehensible specifications, what I will provide are the top 5 must have games for every new iPad 2 owner:

1. Infinity Blade:

If there was one game to ever show off your iPhone 4 or iPad it's Epic's Infinity Blade. Voted best iOS game of 2010 by countless publications, Infinity Blade showed what really can be done when you get a top notch developer, Epic, and let them loose on Apple's hardware. The graphics are gorgeous, up there with many Xbox 360 and PS3 games, and the gameplay feels natural on the iPhone, iTouch and iPad.

Even better though is that Epic has released an update today which takes advantage of the iPad 2's extra graphical processing power. So the most beautiful game on the App Store just became even better.

2. World of Goo:

A brilliant puzzle game developed by 2D Boy, World of Goo has been released on several platforms but the iPad version is considered the best of the bunch. With the sizable screen realestate, controlling the game becomes second nature with simple drags and swipes which are used to create structures to help get your goo into the pipes. It's a game that starts off easy enough but quickly becomes challanging and very addicting. A perfect game for a mobile device.

3. Real Racing 2 HD:

Released today for the iPad, Real Racing 2 has been optimized for the iPad 2 much like Infinity Blade. Firemint, the developer of the popular Real Racing and its sequal, have created the best racing franchise on the App Store.

Unlike most racing games for the iOS, Real Racing is a proper simulation, with realistic physics and real cars. The graphics are beautiful, and gameplay is superb. It has long been considered the best racing game for the iOS devices and with this release it has only gotten better.

Note: Early reviews of the HD version are said to be running perfectly on the iPad 2 but not as well as they should on the iPad. If you are looking to purchase it for the iPad I would recommend you wait for an updated patch for the game.

4. Board games:

One of the most successful genre of games in the App Store are the board games. Scrabble, Monopoly, Catan, Risk and may others have been released on the iPad, and have become the most popular multiplayer games for the device.

Out of all the board games available, Scrabble offers the most innovation. It can be played with up to three friends, played online with Facebook Connect, and even allows for the use of the iPhone or iTouch as the letter rack.

Last year Opera chose Scrabble for the iPad as one of her Favorite Things in 2010. That's enough validation for us.

5. Dead Space for iPad:

Dead Space was originally released on the Xbox 360 to little fanfair. However, it gained a solid enough audience over time that Electornic Arts decided to develop a sequal which was recently released.

In between the original and the sequal, EA decided to release a version for the iOS devices. Dead Space for iPad features a whole new story, gorgeous graphics and intense gameplay. The orignial game was considered one of the scariest games on the Xbox 360, and this version can claim the same on the iPad.

EA has also released an update today for Dead Space for iPad that takes advantage of the iPad 2's higher processing power and also added some new control options and look sensitivity.