It’s travel season again. Yep, it’s the time of year to jump on a plane and take a vacation. Maybe you’re off to see far away relatives, or perhaps you’re leaving town to avoid them. Either way, there’s a good chance you’ll be spending too many hours sitting in an airplane.
Unless you can sleep during flight (we can’t) or enjoy watching heavily edited Hollywood films (if you happen to get a plane that still shows them) we suggest you pick up a few video games to help pass the time.
Today’s handheld gaming devices not only fit nicely into carry-on luggage, they also offer great playing experiences. Of course, so do some cell phones, but since all phones must be turned off during flight you won’t find any cell games listed here.
Check out our top 5 games to play on a plane. Read the list and then tell us your favorites.
Tell us: What are your Top 5 favorite games to play on a plane?
-- Ken Smith";
games_top5_070613[i++] = new Array("","'NY TIMES CROSSWORDS'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070613/070613_nytcrossword_vmed_1a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Majesco", "", "273", "182", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
games_top5_070613[i-1].body = "'NY Times Crosswords'
Love a good crossword but don’t like carrying around a bulky newspaper? Then try Majesco's \"NY Times Crosswords\" for the Nintendo DS. It packs all the fun you're looking for right in the palm of your hand.
This game groups the puzzles into days of the week and, like the newspaper, Monday's crosswords are the easiest and Sunday's are more difficult. You use the DS' stylus to physically write the letters into the blocks as if you were using a pen. But unlike ink, digital mistakes are effortlessly erased.
With more than 1,000 puzzles to choose from, you’ll have more than enough crosswords to do...even if your plane gets delayed."; games_top5_070613[i++] = new Array("","'BRAIN AGE'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070613/070613_brainage_hmed_1a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Nintendo", "", "272", "408", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_top5_070613[i-1].body = "'Brain Age'
Nintendo's \"Brain Age\" isn't so much a game as it is a brain exerciser. The idea here is to get your head into shape by having it complete various exercises – simple math problems, drawing pictures (using the DS' stylus) and reading text into the DS' microphone among them.
If you get tired of the cranium calisthenics, you can sit back and relax by playing Sudoku, which is included in \"Brain Age.\" This popular logic-based game has you figuring out where to place the numerals '1' through '9' on a 9 by 9 grid, with each number appearing only once per column. It's a mathematician's version of a crossword puzzle – and it's a lot of fun.
You may be jammed in a middle seat on a long, cross-country flight, but with \"Brain Age\" at least you can make the best of it by fitting in a mental workout."; games_top5_070613[i++] = new Array("","'HIDDEN EXPEDITION: EVEREST'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070613/070613_everest_hmed_1a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Big Fish Games", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_top5_070613[i-1].body = "'Hidden Expedition: Everest'
Are you one of those people who can't leave home without your laptop? A person who takes it to work as well as on vacation? Then you're one of the lucky ones who can play Big Fish Games' \"Hidden Expedition: Everest\" while on an airplane.
In this PC game you'll study a composite picture and then try to find a list of various items hidden within that picture before time runs out. For instance, you might be shown a jungle river scene and given a list that includes a rope and a grasshopper. While the rope may disguise itself as vines draping off a tree, the grasshopper may be sitting so naturally on a branch that you'll never notice it.
Since the game doesn't require much physically – just a little mouse movement – \"Hidden Expedition: Everest\" is one of those great casual games that you can fully enjoy even while confined in a seat.
And you might find that your row mates don't mind someone occupying the middle seat – if you let them play along with you. Maybe they'll even give you the armrest."; games_top5_070613[i++] = new Array("","'NINTENDOGS'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070613/070613_nintendog_vmed_1a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Nintendo", "", "273", "182", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_top5_070613[i-1].body = "'Nintendogs'
Flying can be difficult for small kids. Spending hours on a plane with no room to run around can feel like a lifetime of agony for restless little ones – and for the adults sitting around them. But giving \"Nintendogs\" for the Nintendo DS to kids can help alleviate their boredom. After all, what child doesn’t love to play with puppies?
Nintendo's virtual pet game lets players pick a puppy to love and care for. They get to walk, feed and groom it, as well as teach it tricks. Once the pets are trained, they can be entered into contests to vie for trophies and (virtual) cash.
There's so much fun stuff to do in \"Nintendogs\" that your flight could be over before your kid wants it to be. "; games_top5_070613[i++] = new Array("","'RATCHET & CLANK: SIZE MATTERS'","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070613/070613_ratchet_hmed_1a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Sony", "", "240", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); games_top5_070613[i-1].body = "'Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters'
Sometimes you don't want to exercise your mind, study pictures or walk a virtual dog. Sometimes you just want to blow stuff up. For those times there's a bobcat-like creature known as Ratchet, his robot sidekick Clank, and their strange arsenal of weapons.
Sony's \"Ratchet and Clank\" franchise is known for the bizarre array of weapons it makes available to these two heroes, and \"Size Matters,\" for the PlayStation Portable, follows the formula. Need a weapon that shoots robotic bees? You got it. Want a gun that transforms your enemies into cows? You got that too.
Even the most stressed out traveller will crack a smile when they see
their foes turned into cattle.
Tell us: What are your Top 5 favorite games to play on a plane?
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