This is meant to be a general thread for iOS game news/discussions or rants. I'll start out by mentioning that the iOS release of 'Dead Space' is supposed to happen today. It seems to be getting alot of kudos for graphics/sound, but has some possible flaws with targeting compared to similar iOS shooters. I had watched a hands-on preview video and it did seem like the person playing was having some aiming issues. http://toucharcade.com/2011/01/24/dead-space-necromorphs-invade-new-zealand-app-store/
I could see this working well if they nail the controls. Dead Space Extraction on the Wii was a similar on-rails shooter, and it was supposed to have been pretty good.
Dead Space: Extraction was a very high quality game. I think I may have been one of the few people on the old version of the forum that bought it. The biggest difference that I see right now between the two is that the iOS version is limiting the number of enemies on screen at one time...at least in the snippets of TouchArcade footage. Extraction was alot more chaotic. Whether this is really a function of the control differences or not remains to be seen.
This is one I'm looking forward to: Smuggle Truck! Genius! Such a great idea and completely absurd. I'll be waiting patiently.
Ars Technica gave Dead Space on iOS a pretty good review. The video looks impressive. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/01/dead-space-on-the-ipad-expands-story-uses-touch-controls-well.ars
I've always had a weak spot for the Speedball series, and it looks like there is a decent Speedball 2 remake coming: Speedball 2/Evolution. One of the nice upgrades in the new version is a career mode. The link has a video and it ain't too shabby. Another cool aspect is that other Bitmap Brothers titles are apparently going to be remade for iOS by the same developer, Tower Games. http://toucharcade.com/2011/02/04/speedball-2-evolution-coming-this-month-screens-video/
That's cool, I wonder if they will do Z. That should work fairly well on iPhone, especially because the scenarios usually aren't too long.
I bought dead space for Ios, it's pretty good. I still hate virtual controls though. Trying to turn whilst moving but needing to tap the screen at the same time to attack just doesn't work. That's probably the reason for reducing the number of enemies.
Battleheart, a cartoon style RPG by Mika Mobile, just got a very gushy review on TouchArcade. There's alot more info than that...pretty lengthy review. It sounds like the control system is very simple and a good fit for touch-based OS use. The Castle Crashers-esque art style also looks pretty sharp in motion.
I've heard good things about Battleheart too; my phone is running low on space so I've not picked anything up for a few months. Pah, too many games and apps. Let me know what you make of it if you get it.
I've only had the chance to play through a couple of battles, but my only complaint so far is that the main music doesn't quite fit an RPG. Minor issue. Basically, you follow a Sword & Poker style "tree" of battles. Each battle has taken place on a single screen so far (no scrolling), and probably lasts a couple of minutes overall. Once the battle is done, most of your party will level up if you distributed the action pretty evenly. One of the cool parts of the gameplay is that each member has a special skill (such as the Rogues +250% damage sneak attack) that will appear as an icon in the upper left corner of the screen if you tap them. Tap the skill icon and they execute it, followed by the icon slowly "filling"to show you when it can be used again. Only one skill can appear on screen at a time, but you can quickly switch between them. So far, the battles have been fairly easy but require concentration and quick decision making. I can see how the action will get fairly frantic on SP as it gets progressively harder. And it seems like there's a pretty wide latitude for strategy as well, despite the simple mechanics. Also, buying new weapons seems to be more expensive than hiring new members to the party. You can have a fairly extensive group of "reserves" in your party for use in specific battles, although you're limited to choosing 4 total to participate each battle. Typically one of those will need to be a healer, especially early on when your characters are weaker.
A bit more on Battleheart: there is definitely some grinding in this game, as you do need to repeat some of the early battles multiple times in order to level up enough and upgrade armor/weapons to take on some of the bosses and their cohorts. I got my booty kicked by the goblin riding the giant boar in the 5th link on the " battle tree" a couple of times before realizing this. I was also incorrect about the character skills. It's not only one skill that appears on screen at a time...but rather one character's skills that appear (each character can have a long chain of skils, and using one doesn't deplete any of the others). Every 5 levels you get to add a new skill, and even the early ones are pretty cool, like the knight's 'Battle Cry' that makes opponents in range run around in panic (and also take alot of hits without fighting back).
Recent downloads: Devil May Cry 4- I give it a 60%, it's ok, but it feels empty and devoid of enemies (plus the ones that are there have stupid A.I.) Gun Bros.- 90%, sick graphics, easy gameplay, reminds me of an updated Commando Dead Space- 90%, great graphics and sounds, gameplay takes a little getting use to
Found a VERY helpful strategy for Battleheart on a Wiki page: have your healer target the knight/monk in your party for individual constant healing right at the start of a battle, then have the knight initiate the attack on ANY creature that enters the screen. That forces the creatures to attack the knight exclusively (while he's constantly being healed), while your other party members can attack without taking damage. Extremely helpful for the boss battles.
Shame I don't really have the space for battlehearts. My phone is full up nowadays; needs a good spring clean. I've still been ridiculously addicted to Drop7; still my go-to game after a few years.
Been reading the news and comments on the iPad 2 on various sites and the comments from these 'APPLE' haters are FUN-AY! A year ago, haters were saying how the iPad would flop, Tablet PCs failed, that there's no place or use in the market for these types of devices, blah blah blah. And now, iPad has been a success, but instead of giving it props for creating a whole new market and jumpstarting a bunch of Android based tablets in the last 6 months, they continue to bash and now say: "I'd rather have an Android Tab, because I hate Apple, even though a year ago I said Tab-PCs suck, they don't now"
Tablets still suck and are worthless. The tablet fad is almost as annoying as the motion control fad of a few years ago. Seriously, who's buying these things? Just get a smartphone.
I actually saw a recent article where someone claimed that one of the reasons they were "disappointed" with the iPad was because they still preferred to use their big screen TV at home for watching movies...as if the iPad was intended to eliminate home theater systems.
Umm the iPad, iPod, and iPhone have always allowed video output!! Handy for Netflix and other streaming apps as well! People and their silly excuses One cool feature about iPad2 is that it does video mirroring through HDMI. So any thing including games will now show up in the "Big Screen".