Villain and Munkyfun Inc. (Shift, Ivory Tiles), have released Archetype, an online FPS built for console style gaming on the iPhone and iPad. “Archetype brings high quality, console-style Pwnage to iPhone and iPod touch first-person shooter fans at an amazing price with absolutely no strings attached,” said Dane Baker, Lead Producer at Villain. “And we’re absolutely thrilled that our game supports the new iPhone 4, as Archetype takes full advantage of the new ‘Retina Display’ technology which results in new owners experiencing an exceptionally phenomenal view of their fragging glory.”
Archetype supports up to ten players per match over WiFi, 3G, and even Edge. Being a console style shooter, the game has a full ranking system, with match pairing services available to prevent beginners from having no chance. With 5 maps, 6 weapons, and 2 grenade types to play with, Archetype looks to keep people entertained for quite some time. Pick it up for $2.99… and of course, there are more screen after the break.
Note from the Editor: Architype is sponsoring 148Apps currently but that had no influence on this article. This is a significant app release for the iPhone/iPod Touch as it represents the latest of very few multiplayer games for the iPhone and even fewer multiplayer FPS games. 148Apps adheres strictly to the principles of editorial and advertising separation as detailed by O.A.T.S.
At GDC I had a very quick chance to try out a new zombie (yes, another zombie game) game from Bulkypix called Undead: The Last Refuge. This one is, honestly, very similar to Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies. It’s a very fast FPS that really shows off what the iPhone 3GS can do. The framerate is as good if not better than CoD. The movement and animation is very fluid and quick as you can see in the demo below.
Later in the video you see 32 zombies on the screen at the same time. CoD maxed out at 9 if I remember correctly. Very impressive.
We’ll have to wait for the game to drop before we can see if it’s a really good game. I only had a chance to play a partial level and honestly had pick my chin up off the floor, I was that impressed with the 3D engine they are using. The game should launch by the end of the month for $2.99.
Hit the jump for the full marketing text about the game and a feature list.
Description: The coming of the Apocalypse had been announced for centuries, so we were not to know that it was so close. The dead have risen from the ground and destroyed everything in their path.
You have managed to survive until now, but you are alone and cut off… How long will you be able to survive?
Features:
Experience fear and stress in a battle for your survival.
Enjoy being in an entirely 3D-modelled environment with impressive graphics.
Take on the hordes of dozens of zombies coming to drink your blood. A totally new scenario for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
Let your weapons do the talking as you drive back your assailants.
Use OpenFeint to survive and achieve success. Beat the highest scores to become world number one.
Challenge your friends on Facebook or Twitter by posting your highest scores.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted December 28th, 2009 by Bonnie Eisenman Our Rating: :: PHENOMENAL
Gameloft's N.O.V.A. is a landmark title for the iPhone/iPod platform. This Halo clone might be lacking in originality, but it's an amazing title that showcases what the iPod is truly capable of. FPS fans, this is one you've got to grab!
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted November 4th, 2009 by Arron Hirst Our Rating: :: A GOOD PORT
id Software finally brings the Doom experience we've all been waiting for to your favorite iDevice. True and full, this port will replicate the experience that sucked up most of your childhood! But, just how are those controls?
ngmoco:)’s hotly anticipated titles, Touch Pets: Dogs and Eliminate, have finally made their way past Apple’s approval process. For those who don’t know, Touch Pets is a pet sim that focuses on raising and training “the ultimate puppy” and also includes a wide array of social features. Eliminate, meanwhile, is a multiplayer online first person shooter. Both games will be free (yes, you read that right!) but will feature In-App Purchases. Note that IAP’s won’t be necessary to play the game; you’ll just need them to unlock extras. With Eliminate, for example, you get to play a certain number of games per day before your “energy” runs out; you can play without energy but you won’t be able to earn any in-game credits.
While both apps are approved, don’t get too excited: ngmoco is doing a Canada-only release first, to make sure that “all Eliminate systems are online and all puppies are house broken before unleashing upon the world,” according to their tweet. It’s an interesting strategy that will have non-Canadian fans grumbling, but given that ngmoco is releasing two extremely hyped games with heavy online components at once, it makes sense. Once the games make their USA debut, we’ll post our reviews; for now, you can check out our preview coverage from earlier this month.
Update: Eliminate is now out worldwide.Make sure you grab it! It generally takes a few hours for new apps to show up in the App Store, so don’t worry if you can’t see it yet.
Canadians can get Touch Pets here, though the rest of the world is still waiting.
Last week, as most of you know, Rockstar Games announced that it was porting its critically acclaimed GTA: Chinatown Wars to the iPhone. Not only is this great news for fans of the game, though we do already have the superb Gangstar, but it also shows how seriously the iPhone is taken as a gaming platform. Rockstar is not a company to make gratuitous ports for every platform available (I don’t think the Wii will be getting GTA anytime soon), so this upcoming port shows that Rockstar believes in the power of the iPhone. If Rockstar will port GTA for the iPhone, what other big-name developers will follow? The days of the iPhone being a phone that you could play some gimmicky accelerometer games on are over. Sony, I would be afraid.
New ngmoco FPS trailer, now called Eliminate, reveals the use of micro-transactions
Ngmoco has released a new trailer for their upcoming Eliminate, and while the game is looking awesome, most people are fixating on another detail: you will only be able to play so many matches online for credits in one day, and if you want to play for credits again without waiting a day, you have to buy an “energy pack” using real money. So what’s the big deal? Well if you ask me, as long as ngmoco doesn’t abuse this, nothing. Here’s the kicker: if you run out of energy, you can still play online, you just won’t win credits. So the only people who will buy extra energy are the perfectionists who have to show how good they are. For people like me, who just want to play a game to have fun (isn’t that what a game is for), you can play however much you want and still have fun. So really, this is a great idea as long as two things hold true: the game is not originally priced above $6.99 and the amount of energy you get per day is reasonable. What do you guys think? Sound off in our comments below.
C64 Emulator finally approved by Apple
After months of back room deals, Apple rejections, and Apple non-communication, Manomio has finally gotten their superb C64 emulator has been approved! Obviously this won’t appeal to everyone, but if you’re one for nostalgia, at $4.99, it’s worth picking up because of the high level of polish and solid controls. The emulator comes with five fully licensed games, but no BASIC emulator as was originally included, though it’s apparently suspiciously easy to enable the BASIC if you’re SSH savvy. Future games will be available via DLC at prices to be determined by the original IP holders. Next up, Manomio, a legal Atari emulator (I wish)!
+ Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad
Released: 2009-09-04 :: Category: Music
Contest!
This, week, as a first for MMAHQ, we’re holding a contest where you can be the lucky winner of a $15 iTunes gift card! To enter, simply comment on this article with your prediction for what will happen at the 9.9.09 Apple event on Wednesday. What will the new iPod Touch look like? Will any huge games come out (like Madden)? Will Steve Jobs be there? The winner will be the person who has the most accurate or funniest prediction will be deemed the winner (that’s right, this is completely arbitrary)! Hopefully we can get some good participation, and if all goes well, we might have some more contests later on.
Apps of the Week
Modern Combat: Sandstorm
Modern Combat is the most visually impressive title on the iPhone to date, bar none. Models are good, textures are sharp, and everything is fully and accurately 3D. Not only this, but Gameloft actually nailed the controls, a first for an FPS on the iPhone. The gameplay, specifically the AI and level structure leave something to be desired, but Sandstorm remains a great accomplishment nonetheless, and it comes with a solid recommendation at the low price of $6.99.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-09-02 :: Category: Games
Samurai: Way of the Warrior
Samurai is one of the coolest games I’ve played on the iPhone. It’s a hack-and-slasher with great graphics, perfect controls, and gratuitous blood! Controls involve different combinations of swipes, and the gameplay is actually somewhat strategic – you have to balance small attacks with huge combos, because if you miss a huge combo, you leave yourself very prone to an attack. Execute moves correctly, and you might be lucky enough to see the body of the opponent samurai stop, then fall on the ground in two pieces, with blood squirting across the screen. Samurai comes with both a story mode and an endless or “dojo” mode. My only complaints about this game are that once you figure out the controls, it’s too easy – there’s an uneven difficulty curve, and that it does get repetitive at times. Still, I found myself playing this $2.99 gem much more than Sandstorm. Expect a full review soon, but until then, you really have to see a video to appreciate the awesomeness of this game.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted September 7th, 2009 by Will Our Rating: :: TECHNICAL BEAUTY
Gameloft's impressive FPS delivers the goods with incredible graphics and almost equally impressive controls. Though the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired, Sandstorm is still not one to be missed.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted August 11th, 2009 by Richard Martin Our Rating: :: HE'S BACK!
Duke is here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, but lucky for us, he's all out of bubblegum. Minus some control issues, Duke's first trip to the iPhone is all kick ass.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted July 1st, 2009 by Will Our Rating: :: PLATFORM SHOWCASE
This is not the DOOM you remember. Though it's a bit short, DOOM Resurrection is an incredibly engaging and fun "on-rails" shooter that contains some of the best graphics seen yet on the iPhone.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted April 6th, 2009 by Chris Hall Our Rating: :: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Wolfenstein 3D for the iPhone is a near perfect re-creation of the classic game that popularized the FPS genre. Surprisingly the game holds up quite well after all these years and looks quite solid on the iPhone platform. What's even more surprising is the gameplay, which proves that the iPhone can be a solid FPS platform.