What Separates Great Touch Controls From Awful Ones

Touch controls make or break a mobile game, and you can often tell within the first minute. Good input feels invisible; you think about the game, not your fingers.

The worst offenders put virtual buttons where your thumbs cover the action, or demand precision the screen can't deliver. Racing games are notorious for this, which is why Neon Drift Circuit's forgiving handling stood out to us.

Great games offer options. Tilt or tap, left-handed or right, big buttons or gestures. They also give visual feedback so you always know a tap registered, which sounds minor until you play something that doesn't.

Before you commit to a new game, spend five minutes just moving around. If the controls fade into the background, you've found a keeper. If you're fighting them, no amount of great story will save it.