Android games have really grown up in the last year.  There once was a time when iOS had a huge advantage in the selection of games but with the massive explosion of Android users comes the increased focus developers and the result is the new status as a quality gaming platform for Android.  That along with the introduction of powerful dual-core processors has seen console quality games land in the Android Market and I couldn’t be happier.  My favorite genre of high-quality game is the first-person or third person shooter that have dominated console gaming for the last few years.  These games not only take advantage of the graphical prowess of dual-core devices but they are a hell of a lot of fun to play.  Here’s my list of the 3 best Android games in the first-person shooter/action game genre.

• Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation – This is the single best first-person shooter on the Android platform.  Modern Combat 3 is a fantastic game all around.  The graphics are simply superb and match up well against console titles, the Campaign plays out beautifully and is both fun and challenging and to top everything off Gameloft has added an online multiplayer mode so you can match wits and tactics with gamers across the globe.  In fact, multiplayer mode is the main reason why Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is #1 on this list because even after you conquer the campaign you’ll still keep coming back to something new.  Modern Combat 3 offers a 13 mission campaign and online gameplay against 11 competitors on 6 different maps so this is an incredibly deep title.  As expected, there is a lot of blood being spilled in Modern Combat 3 so I wouldn’t recommend it to the younger crowd but anyone who’s played Modern Warfare or any other console FPS will be right at home here.  Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is available in the Android Market for $6.99.

• Shadowgun – This is the best looking game I’ve ever played on a mobile device.  Madfinger Games has created a stunning futuristic world filled with cyborgs, mutants, battle droids and humanoids tasked with stopping you (Bounty Hunter John Slade) from capturing their leader Dr. Edgar Simon.  Shadowgun really is the single most impressive game on Android.  I mean, there isn’t a single negative thing I can say about it.  It’s just that good.  The gameplay is hard but not frustratingly so and even when I’ve gotten stuck at a certain point I don’t mind fighting my way through it because of how much fun Shadowgun is.  So why isn’t Shadowgun my #1 choice on the list of Best Android Games?  The answer is multiplayer and specifically the lack there of.  Modern Combat 3′s biggest strength is its multiplayer mode and although Shadowgun may be a superior game to MC3 in many regards, it could become an afterthought once you complete all the levels.  That’s a pretty big deal to me.  Shadowgun is available in the Android Market for $4.99.

• Grand Theft Auto III – You know it, you love it and now it’s on Android.  Rockstar has re-released their groundbreaking smash hit on mobile platforms to celebrate its 10th anniversary in grand fashion.  Grand Theft Auto III is still as fresh today as it was in 2001 and playing it on the small screen (I prefer it on a tablet over a phone) gives it a whole new feel.  The graphics look really good and Liberty City is as detailed and sprawling as you remember.  It’s an impressive feat to put a game with such a detailed story line and an entire city to play around in on a mobile device.  Grand Theft Auto III doesn’t fit into the same mold as Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation and Shadowgun but it is still an action-packed game with plenty of gun play and mindless violence.  Oh, it also happens to be a really, really great game.  Grand Theft Auto III is available in the Android Market for $4.99.

There’s other great titles that I considered as possible additions to the list of Best Android Games such as N.O.V.A. 2, 9mm, Dead Space, Contract Killer: Zombies and Backstab HD but Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, Shadowgun and Grand Theft III are just a cut above.  The good news is that the number of high-quality games coming into the Android Market is growing at a rapid rate.  By this time next year it’ll be even more difficult to cut my list down to the 3 best Android games.  Maybe next year I’ll just have to do a list of the top 5 games.