2012 has been an awesome year for iOS gaming so we wanted to take a look at the best games of 2012. What constitutes a "best game of 2012"? It has to be fun to play, number one. We don't care if it's prettier than a thousand Swedish bikini models, if it's isn't fun to play then there's no point in buying it. It has to have great graphics, simple yet engaging gameplay, and most of all, it has to just plain rock. Let's take a look -- in no particular order -- at the 20 Best Games of 2012.

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    20

    Orc: Vengeance

    Chillingo

    The dungeon crawler that snuck up on us and stole our cold, orcish hearts, Orc: Vengeance puts you in control of an Orc Warchief on a quest for vengeance against the evil Dark Lord. Very simple tap controls, an easy-to-use yet complex upgrading system, and stunning graphics easily put this one into our best games of 2012 list. Dungeon crawling has never been this much fun. Grab that mallet and start bashing some skeleton skulls!

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    19

    Shellrazer

    Slick Entertainment

    Shellrazer is so much fun I deleted photos of my birth, confirmation, wedding, first-born, divorce, flight into outer space and my first Donkey Kong kill screen just to make sure I had room on my iPhone to play it. Ok, so I've never actually been married or had kids, but you get the idea. Shellrazer lets you control a giant war turtle of justice, who backs up his slow, cool demeanor by housing weapons on his back. Weapons to take out his annoying enemies who are trying to keep him from reaching his goal. If you wanna raise some serious shell, look no further than this fun and clever game by Slick Entertainment.

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    18

    Gunman Clive

    Bertil Horberg

    With its pretty to stare at sketch graphics, spot-on controls and fun to play platforming levels, Gunman Clive came out of nowhere and blew everyone away. Each level has new surprises (a robot train!) and you can't put the game down once you pick it up. Saddle up and download Gunman Clive, one of the best games of 2012.

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    17

    Where's My Perry?

    Disney

    Where's My Perry? is the sequel to the hugely successful Where's My Water? But instead of trying to get water to Swampy the Alligator, you're trying to help out Agent P from the hit cartoon show Phineas and Ferb. Gameplay is the same and you'll be using water in all of its forms to try and pass each of the tricky puzzles spread across four chapters. It's just as addicting as the original, and just as much fun.

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    16

    Robbery Bob

    Chillingo

    Somehow Robbery Bob managed to sneak his way into our best games of 2012 list. But I guess sneaking into things is what he specializes in, isn't it? Guide Bob through different houses and structures as he tries to steal everything inside and not get caught. It's simple at first, but when you're surrounded by guards and trapped in a bathroom, things can get pretty intense. Robbery Bob will steal your gaming heart.

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    15

    Trigger Fist

    Lake Effect Applications

    Who needs Counter-Strike when we've got this handheld iOS multi-player game available with amazing graphics and simple controls? Choose your map, choose your game, choose your soldier and your weapon and you're ready to light up fools in this smooth-as-butter multiplayer experience. Trigger Fist deserves to be on our best games of 2012 list. Sure, you'll get pwned over and over by better players, but when you start getting the hang of it you'll no longer be the noob on the map, you'll be the l33t player the other gamers begin to fear. Now get to work on increasing that kill-to-death ratio, soldier!

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    14

    Pitfall!

    Activision Publishing

    Pitfall Harry is back! Long time lovers of this classic 2600 title will be happy to see Harry's return, this time in a game that puts a new twist on the endless runner genre. With colorful graphics, funny sound bites, changing perspectives, save points and more, you'll be more than happy to run around the jungle with Harry again. Just watch out for those stupid crocodiles, snakes and scorpions. They still hate that you're taking all of their gold bars.

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    13

    Heroes of Order & Chaos

    Gameloft

    Gameloft has taken the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), and made it mobile in Heroes of Order & Chaos. If you've ever wanted the Warcraft experience on your iOS device, you won't have to look much further than this game. It's got online play, a huge stable of unique characters, and some of the best-looking graphics and character designs on the platform. And the absolute coolest thing about the game? The whole thing is available to download for free!

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    12

    The Room

    Fireproof Studios

    Puzzle games can be hard to rate. They're either chastised for being too hard, or given low marks for being too easy. But when a perfect blend of puzzle ingenuity, addiction and great graphics comes along, that game has to be celebrated. Such is the case with The Room. A surprising brain teaser that sucks you in right from the tutorial. It's one of the best puzzle games out there, and one of the best games of 2012.

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    11

    Crazy Taxi

    Sega

    "You're going the wrong way!" Who cares! It's Crazy Taxi, not Sane Taxi! Get your passenger to his destination by any means necessary in this perfect port of the Sega arcade classic. The cities, the music, the controls. It's all here waiting for fans of this awesome game to pick up and play. Don't worry about the price tag, you spent more than that in the arcade back in the day playing it for hours on end.

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    10

    Arc Squadron

    Psyonix

    We love a good space shooter here at Arcade Sushi, and Arc Squadron definitely fits the bill. The graphics, for one, are mind-numbingly gorgeous. The tap controls feel strange at first, but once you get past the slight learning curve, you can barrel roll at will like any space fighter worth his salt. With great graphics, excellent controls, and an extensive single-player campaign, Arc Squadron is currently the reigning king of space shooters.

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    9

    Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders

    Atypical Games

    This game makes you forget that you're bound by the laws of gravity and lets you lose yourself in the moment. If you're rocking a Retina display, you'll probably think the world inside your device is real and that you're actually tearing through the skies during World War II. Add in all of the customization options and a suite of different game modes, and you've got a high-flying title that gives you some of the best historical air combat that the App Store has to offer.

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    8

    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

    Rockstar Games

    The sun, the sand, and the soundtrack! Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is one of the most polished ports to hit the App Store and you definitely owe it to yourself to get it. Even if you don't feel like driving around town and helping Tommy Vercetti build up his drug empire, you can at least park the car and turn up the radio for some totally awesome '80s tunes. But if you're a fan of the whole package, you can't go wrong with this 10th Anniversary port of one of the best games in all of console-dom.

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    7

    N.O.V.A. 3

    Gameloft

    Am we playing this on an iPad or on an Alienware PC? N.O.V.A. 3's graphics are sick. We're talking crazy sick. This looks like something you'd pay $50 for and download over Steam. Not only does N.O.V.A. 3 look awesome, it plays awesome as well. First-person shooter controls are usually terrible but these are so smooth and the gameplay so intuitive, we can't put it down. Sure, it clocks in at a whopping 1.44 GB, but it's 1.44 GB of ass-kicking fun!

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    6

    The Simpsons: Tapped Out

    Electronic Arts

    What was once a gaming turkey is now gaming gold. The Simpsons: Tapped Out makes it high on the list because not only is it fun to play, but it's constantly being updated with new and fresh content. Fans of The Simpsons are eating it up, and Electronic Arts has shown no sign of slowing down when it comes to providing them with something new almost every time they play.

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    5

    Punch Quest

    Oh, Punch Quest. How we love you. Not only have you managed to topple Jetpack Joyride from its reign as king of the endless runner mountain, but you've managed to suck up all of our free time as well. Punch, punch, super punch and punch some more as you knock the heads off of everything that gets in your way. It's clean, simple gameplay will have you hooked. Don't say we didn't warn you!

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    4

    Fieldrunners 2

    Subatomic Studios

    Fieldrunners 2, why do you torment us so? You beat us up everytime we play you. Yet your easy to learn gameplay, sharp graphics and clever levels keep us coming back for more. We would be playing you right now if we didn't have to type this. We hate you for being so addicting Fieldrunners 2! Hate you! No, no, we're kidding. Can we play again? Pleeease, just a thousand more times?

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    3

    Angry Birds Star Wars

    Rovio

    Help us, Angry Birds Star Wars ... you're our only hope! Our only hope of not going mad that all six aren't available right now! This latest and greatest Angry Birds entry is the best in the series and will make both fans of Angry Birds and Star Wars, really happy. We can't wait to see what they come up with next in the series. All we ask is that we can kill all the Angry Birds Ewoks. That's not too much to ask, is it?

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    The Pinball Arcade

    FarSight Studios

    We LOVE The Pinball Arcade. We love it so much we have it downloaded on our iPhones, iPads, Google Nexus 7s, X-Box 360s and Playstation 3s. We would download this thing onto our microwave oven if I knew it could play it. Why am we so obsessed with it? We have to make sure we have access to these awesome pins from the past at all times. We love these faithful reproductions of pinball machines we grew up playing. Instead of paying thousands to own one of these classics, we can pay a few bucks and have the closest reproductions one could get.

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    1

    Walking Dead: The Game

    Telltale Games

    What can be said about Walking Dead: The Game that we haven't said already? It's taken us on an emotional, episodic thrill-ride these past couple of months and definitely has us wanting more. The voice-acting is amazing and complements the engaging dialogue that makes up a majority of the gameplay. And of course, a lot of the game hinges on players' decisions and how they think Lee should interact with those around him. Instead of hammers, guns, or axes, this game teaches players that the most powerful tool of all is choice.

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