Tag: FPS »

To most people, QuakeCon is an event that is custom built for showing off the latest and greatest in big gaming software. John Carmack, the genius behind id Software, usually gets up on stage and wows the crowd with his new FPS, but this year, it was a bit different.

In his keynote he whiped out his iPhone 4 and said, "iPhone. Rage. 60 frames per second". Rage, his newest FPS, was only expected to be released on the current generation mega machines, so when his iPhone came out, the crowd let out a pretty hearty cheer. What Carmack showed was only a tech demo, but it had all of the textures, lighting effects, and speed that you would expect a solid FPS to have.

The demonstration was built on the id Tech 5 engine, the same engine used for the XBox 360, the PS3, and the PC, which is so advanced that it can run the game at an acceptable speed on a first gen iPhone.

Carmack says in the speech, after explaining how cool the app looks on the iPad, says that the Tech 5 engine could "kill anything done on a previous generation console, like the Xbox or PlayStation 2.".

He does mention the lack of tactile feedback, but I fully expect John Carmack to fix that too. I'll be waiting, Carmack.

Unfortunately for us, id will not be licensing Tech 5 like they do with the majority of their other tech. In an interview with Eurogamer, id's Software boss Todd Hollenshead said that "It's going to be used within ZeniMax, so we're not going to license it to external parties. It's like, look, this is a competitive advantage and we want to keep it within games we publish - not necessarily exclusively to id or id titles, but if you're going to make a game with id Tech 5 then it needs to be published by Bethesda, which I think is a fair thing."

Here's hoping that there will be a slew of great Bethesda titles for the iPhone in 2011.

[Source: Eurogamer, Kotaku]

Archetype 1.3.1 is out now, and it brings even more online shooter madness to your iPhone. In the update, there is a new level, a "Rocket Arena" game mode that makes the Pride level "rockets only", and "gyroscopic aim assist", which is the precursor to full gyroscopic controls that will be in a future update.

"Other gameplay improvements include a fix for spawning too close to enemies, a change in the default equipment that starts players with two grenades rather than three to make grenade usage more strategic, and info button that provides information and updates, user controls for inverting yaw and disabling blood effects, automatic screen rotation (iOS4 only), a memory fix for second gen iPod touch owners, and a graphical fix for player who appeared to be holding a melee axe when they had the default rifle."

Be sure to download the latest update for free in the App Store, and prepare for some rocket attacks!

The entire goal of Archetype is to be a first-person shooter that promises no gimmicks, just pure gameplay, so wasting time on a cute opening paragraph seems inappropriate and a waste of time, so the best way to start off a review of Archetype is to just jump in and talk about it. Archetype features little story beyond a CG intro, it's all about the first-person shooter gameplay. This means that unlike Eliminate, there's no system that compels you to buy some sort of consumable in-app item, there's just an experience system and nothing else. This is more of a raw first person shooter experience, and this is what the game focuses on entirely, almost to a fault.

And, well, if you like fast-paced FPS games, and hate consumable in-app purchase elements, Archetype is the game for you. You run around everywhere just killing enemies, picking up weapons and ammo, hunting down enemies using the radar. There's little to no configuration necessary to get into a game. You just choose "Team Deathmatch," and you start searching for games. After a minute or so, you get into a game and you're off and fragging. The game runs great on Wi-Fi and on later generation hardware, but even on older devices like the iPhone 3G, the game is still very playable, and it even works well over cellular data connections. The controls work fairly well, but the right aiming joystick stops moving once you reach the edge of the movement area, instead of constantly scrolling around, making rapid turning a tricky proposition.

Archetype's problem is that there is nothing going on beyond the default mode - it's online team deathmatch or nothing. There's pretty much nothing beyond that - no local wireless multiplayer, no free for all or capture the flag modes, just team deathmatches. The maps all blend together, and the character designs are generic futuristic super soldiers. The whole game largely just feels like an approximation of some other work - there's little to define this game beyond the fact that it exists on the iOS platform. Archetype is desperately crying for more - and one can only hope the developers are out to provide more.

Archetype feels just incomplete. What is here is fun, albeit very generic, but there just isn't much here. If the developers are committed to adding more modes and maps to the game to expand what the game already provides, Archetype could be a killer first-person shooter for iOS, but as it is, Archetype's lack of substance hurts an otherwise solid game.

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.

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.

Random musings of the app store

GTA: Chinatown Wars coming to the iPhone

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)!

This week's sign of the apocalypse

Smule's "I Am T-Pain" is the number one paid app in the entire app store. Enough said.

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.

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.

That's it for this week, tune back in next week for the winner of the contest and some more MMAHQ. Have a great week!

You youngsters who are not quite brushed up on your video game history may only know Duke Nukem by name; a legend who once ruled the video game industry with his slick 3d graphics and sassy catchphrases. More experienced gamers have much more fond memories of Mr. Nukem as the baddest dude around. I remember giving my lunch away for a week for a copy of Duke Nukem on PC because my mom wouldn't buy it for me. That's how awesome Duke Nukem was back in his heyday. He made children forsake their mothers for a few hours of bloody fun. He saved the world from alien invasions AND got a ton of tail in the process... like Bruce Willis in Die Hard, except way cooler... and with hair.

Duke Nukem 3D is MachineWorks Northwest LLC's nearly flawless port of Duke's first PC outing brought to you by 3D Realms. All of the little things are there, including the right of passage for every child to discover the little Easter egg in the original Duke Nukem where you could hand dollars to a stripper for an amazing pixelated show, and now you get to live this all over again.

Why this game kicks serious tail
It's Duke Nukem just as you remember him. Graphically, this game is just as you remember it in its' PC days, if not better. The game plays great. On my 3GS the game runs oh so smoothly, and from talking to a couple of homies operating on the 3G, it plays just as nicely. MachineWorks definitely did a good job in bringing over the original look and feel of the original Duke Nukem. The sound is just as good as well. Most, if not all of Duke's original catchphrases are there and the quirky little interactions with the environments that made the game so funny back in the day are also still there.

The controls are a plus and a minus for me. MachineWorks made a great effort at making DN3D as easy to control as possible. There are two different control schemes for you to take advantage of and I can't truly say which one is better, because they both have their advantages and disadvantages. The classic analog controls give you two virtual joysticks which work well once you get used to them, but are still a little buggy. The digital controls are a little odd at first as well but if you take the time to learn them they may be a little bit more convenient to use than the analog controls. Like I said before, different gamers will find different value in each of these control schemes.

The firing system was well thought out for this game, and like your control system there are two options to choose from, but you're only going to use one. There is the lesser crosshair system in which Duke will fire where the crosshair is aimed, but this one is a little bit difficult to use. While the controls may work well enough, they aren't refined enough to be able to accurately aim with them. The alternative touch to shoot system works really well in this game, and does exactly what it says. You touch where you want to shoot and Duke shoots there. This system works really well in situations where you will encounter a ton of enemies and I found the system accurate enough to use to fire at enemies who were only small blips on the screen.

Not much needs to be said about the gameplay besides this. You know what you're getting with Duke Nukem... pure shooter with tons of bad guys, blood, and boobies. If you were a fan of the original Duke Nukem, then you will like this iteration. Besides the controls, it's exactly the same game as it was before. Duke Nukem 3D was one of the most popular games of its' generation because of its' great gameplay and this definitely carries over.

Why this game falls flat on its' face.
It doesn't, but honestly it comes really really close...

The controls are just good enough for this game to be passable. That's really one of the only bad things I can say about this game. It's a bit tough to shoot and strafe out of the way of incoming fire at the same time but it can defintely be done after a bit of practice. One of the nice things that MachineWorks did was make the placement of the controls 100% customizeable. This is one of the saving graces of Duke Nukem 3D. The analog control scheme, as I stated before, still seems really buggy. You can't drag your finger around the joysticks, you kind of have to lift your finger off before you can change directions, which is annoying, and for anybody who plays any console games whatsoever, it's a completely unnatural motion to make.
This being said, there aren't really any more negatives I can come up with... Sooooo... I guess this is where we chew the bubblegum since I'm all out of ass kickings to give out.

The final verdict
Duke Nukem 3D is definitely the port classic fans of the game were looking for. The controls are little bit shoddy but I would guess that fans of the original game wouldn't mind this for a chance to play one of the greatest PC games of all time, on the go. For newcomers to the series, if you can pick up a game with great gameplay but lacking controls and get around it then it will absolutely be worth your 3 bucks (which is a bargain for a big name franchise like this.) If dealing with frustrating controls could ruin your gaming experience then you may want to think twice about this purchase, but I would highly reccomend that you give it a chance.

Duke Nukem 3D helped raise me into the fine young gentleman that I am, and hopefully it can do the same for preteens and young adults wielding iPhones in this generation.

That was a lie, don't buy this game for your kids. It'll mess them up.