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| iPhone Games by Horrible Gelatinous Blob 09/05/2009, 3:24am PDT | ||||
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| People have been calling the iPhone the biggest handheld platform with the lowest barrier to entry. Someone even compared it to my favorite console of all time, the Dreamcast, in terms of processing power available to developers. A lot of interesting-looking games have been posted to the App Store, but few of them have demos or "Lite" versions available for free, and even those that do tend to either plaster them with the most annoying ads imaginable, or include around eight seconds of worthwhile gameplay. Just like Mischief Maker won't pay more than $20 for a game that wasn't painstakingly coded in assembly within the confines of a hikikomori's hermetically sealed bedroom, I refuse to shell out a dime for the vast majority of Mac software. The result of my principled stand is that Steve Jobs has a deep freezer full of Palestinian and Filipino pancreases that he was able to pay top dollar for, while I have an iPhone full of free social networking and Cydia apps.
What's changed? Two sites: freeappalert.com and appulo.us. I've been running a jailbroken iPhone since the earliest days, but until appulo.us, taking the plunge into full-on pirated apps meant devoting more time than I was willing to spend. Now that that's no longer the case, I can leisurely explore the nascent world of iPhone gaming without raging at $5 wasted. Enough talk. KIL.A.TON - Tank Wars on iPhone, complete with online play. Hey, remember Tank Wars (also, the 80s)? It's back! In iPhone form! It's fun, but it's Tank Wars. I played it to death on the Tandy 1000; thanks. Crayon Physics - The controls haven't been properly tweaked for the switch to a finger from a stylus/mouse, but the charm and basic concept remain untainted. Super Monkey Ball - If the initial calibration isn't performed with the phone flat on a table, it's unplayable. If it is, then you get to hunch over the phone and tilt it carefully until the accelerometer registers, then quickly tilt it back to keep from killing your character. One of the first games released, and does it ever show. Cooking Mama - A straight port of the first DS game. Since Cooking Mama is barely a game to begin with, it translates exceptionally well. Tap, slide, shake, and tilt to prepare delicious food. Bonus point: this version lacks Mama's...distinctive "voice," so that's a definite plus. Peggle - It's fucking Peggle. That's all you need to know. Either you love Peggle or there's something wrong with your brain. Tetris - It's fucking Tetris. Although it is worth mentioning that EA strongarmed Apple into taking down all of the (mostly free) Tetris clones that were on the App Store prior to their (paid) version releasing. But I'm not bitter. Flight Control - One of the most popular games and "success stories" of the App Store, developers need to take a good hard look at Flight Control, because it does everything right. It's cheap ($0.99), it's pick up and play, if you have to quit mid-game, you don't feel like anything of significant value is lost, the large degree of luck inherent in the the randomized flight paths ensures replayability, it's shallow enough that anyone can rapidly become proficient, and it's the type of game that couldn't really work anywhere else (save the DS). Space Ace - I don't know why they put this out first instead of Dragon's Lair, but whatever. What I can't get over is how they want to charge $5 for this poorly engineered retread. The animation is beautiful and the game is responsive enough, but the documentation and support options are nonexistent. Why does the game always quit out at the same place? Oh, it's because the difficulty level is too low. Good thing I figured that out instead of you posting any kind of manual or anything. Wasted potential, C-, see me after etc. Osu - This actually isn't in the App Store, but on Cydia. An open source implementation/recreation of Elite Beat Agents, Osu was made for the iPhone. You can search for, download, and play new beatmaps directly from the phone. The quality of the beatmaps vary widely, of course, and the library includes way too much J-pop and anime music, but there's a decent selection of contemporary (real) music to try out. The one hassle is kind of a major one: I'm guessing that one or all of the programmers who ported this are lefties, because the way the screen displays means that the right hand covers the speaker, muffling the music you need to stay on beat. The screen should be flipped so you hold it the other way; optimally, this would be a configurable option. It's not. Still, lots of fun if you, like me, are still holding out hope for an Elite Beat Agents 2. Ow My Balls! - Nanaca Crash, only it sucks. Hey, someone should port the real Nanaca Crash to the iPhone. I'd pay a buck for that (Note: I would not pay a buck for that, but I'm sure lots of people would). Space Invaders: Infinity Gene - I saved this one for last, because not only was it the game I was most surprised by, it's the best game period I've played for the iPhone. It's hard to explain and very Japanese in design, but it's Space Invaders with an interesting evolution mechanic that gives your fighter new abilities and weapons as you play more and more. You can also create custom playfields and levels based on songs on the device. It's also easy to pick up and put down, and it works on the iPhone not because of its control scheme, but because it's a fairly simplistic game that comes in little bite-size segments. It's expensive -- at $5, too expensive for an unqualified recommendation -- but it really is a great game and I hope it gets more recognition. More later? |
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iPhone Games by 09/05/2009, 3:24am PDT  I would request your opinion of whether Archon is worth the money. NT by 09/05/2009, 11:42am PDT It controls like shit. I like the concept, but the implementation is very poor. NT by 09/19/2009, 4:57pm PDT More iPhone Games by 01/07/2010, 6:06pm PST Re: More iPhone Games by 01/07/2010, 8:26pm PST :3 hang on I gotta go put something in the soapdish NT by 01/11/2010, 4:36am PST |
