Has the eighteenth century been mutilated and mined by developers until the cows come home? The simple answer to this question is an emphatic, "Heck no!" So it really makes perfect sense for teams to dig into this rich mine of exploitable historical content. Imagine a parallel universe where the worlds of Assassin's Creed and the Revolutionary War bled together. Though the concept may sound utterly absurd to those that are not used to GameLoft's extensive work on the iOS front, this odd combination, though completely ridiculous, actually manages to work fairly well. So lace up your boots and start loading your musket, because things might get a little crazy.
Right off the bat players are introduced to the plight of Henry Blake, a former British military-man that was betrayed by the people that he once trusted. Forced to pick up the broken pieces of what once resembled his life, Blake sets off to get revenge on the backstabbers who turned his life upside down. But in this era of sophistication and class, what is the best way to get the jump on your adversaries? If Assassin's Creed taught us anything, it is that death is a dish best served from above, silently, under the cover of night, with a sharp blow to the melon.
Taking place in a series of fully rendered cities, again harkening back to it's console inspiration, as well as a couple more scenic locals, players will have the option to run, jump and climb their way across the skyline, while making small steps towards reclaiming what was once yours. When you couple this with GameLoft's extensive track record of producing quality voiceovers and visually polished content, you may be looking at a match made in the eighteenth century heaven. Keep it locked here for more exclusive details as they become available closer to the game's official release.
It seems like only yesterday that Capcom's "little fighter that could," was announced to be coming to the iOS platform. Masses of gamers waited patiently to learn if Street Fighter IV was the portable combat experience that would prove the iPhone and iPod Touch to be viable for hardcore fans of the genre. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that not only did the game perform admirably, but it set the standard for how virtual joysticks should be implemented. Both far and wide, the game was praised for its high quality production values and emphasis on precision and detailed button interactions. This was the beginning of a new age for the Street Fighter franchise, and the first in a series of evolutions to the game on iOS.
Though later on the game was updated to include several new characters, including the likes of Cammy and E. Honda, there was always one piece of the puzzle that still seemed incomplete: multiplayer. Sure, there was a clumsy Bluetooth multiplayer mode, but nothing that could leverage the power of GameCenter. For this very reason, Capcom went back to the drawing board when it came to their netcode and are now proudly ready to unveil details about their next installment in the Street Fighter brand: Street Fighter IV: Volt.
The new game, which will unfortunately not be available as an update to the current Street Fighter title, will be the first of its kind to implement full GameCenter compatibility with friends lists, as well as a bevy of ranked matchmaking experiences. Further sweetening the collective pot is the introduction of four new combatants to the arena: Vega, Cody, Balrog, and a mystery character. Capcom's representatives were coy when addressing questions about price point and launch window, only divulging that the game was aiming for a June or July launch. As soon as we have more details, rest assured that they will be found here on 148Apps.
Nowadays Capcom is on board the freemium bandwagon in a big way. One such example of that is their upcoming title Monster Petshop. Modeled as a hybrid of time management games and Tamagotchi animal raising simulators, the upcoming time sink looks to dip into your inner nurturer, while still forcing players to be ruthless business people.
Players are placed in the kitty litter covered shoes of a pet store owner, specializing in raising unique breeds of monsters. These interactive creatures that you raise from an egg are you ticket to success, as long as you can avoid becoming too attached to the little buggers. Any number of different processes that might be done with a traditional Tamagotchi pet are intimately necessary to the creature's survival and ultimate well being, including such tasks as feeding, cleaning up after and even scratching them in their "special spot." Don't worry, the person demoing the game for me admitted to feeling creepy after uttering the phrase.
Once your pet has reached some level of maturity it can either be bred with other creatures owned by your friends or sold for a profit. The trick is keeping enough balance that these pixelated little beasts can be constantly reproducing and either building or replenishing your store's stock, while still keeping the critters at peak happiness. It is a juggling act to be sure, but if you manage to succeed, the imaginary financial windfall could prove to be rather lucrative.
As you become a bigger success as a store owner, abilities to add in new decorations to your shop and options for your breeds will open up, allowing for players to do what they love most in freemium games, customizing the ever-loving hell out of everything. You can look forward to more details on the game hatching as the title's June/July peak incubation window draws nearer.
As I stepped into the demo for Dream Park, I couldn't seem to shake this feeling that I have seen this game somewhere else. Echoes of PC gaming's past were calling out the name of Rollercoaster Tycoon as I was shown the second of Capcom's trio of upcoming freemium offerings. While the game doesn't expressly feature the ability to build your own rollercoasters, many of the other amusement park design and upkeep mechanics are present in their full glory, silently urging you to indulge your inner Walt Disney.
For those that have ever fantasized about building their own fledgling theme, or rather, "Dream Park," from the ground up, this is the title that will definitely scratch that itch. Players can choose from a park that employs any one of three different themes: Jurassic, Science Fiction, or Fantasy Medieval. After deciding upon a motif to follow, players then can set off to create rides, modify or upgrade their existing attractions, and better please their consumers.
Once new rides have been put into full operation they will continue to earn a steady income until customers either become dissatisfied with the attraction, or it breaks down. Depending upon the popularity of the ride, you will have to make the tough choice to either repair the ride or sell it for scrap. These are the kinds of decisions that will plague progression through the lifecycle of this interactive magic land. But really who are we to complain? Even the worst day on a Ferris Wheel beats any day in the office...
As you might predict, the more successful your Dream Park becomes, the more money that will be at your disposal for customizing and beautifying the layout of the park. Even the small touches like adding in proper queue lines for attractions can go a long way towards cleaning up the appearance and better managing crowds. Once again, the name of the game when it comes to freemium design is customization, and this is an experience that has it in spades. Will you chose to indulge your inner control freak?
Today was the start of the 2010 E3 and unlike last year, there are tons of great iPhone and iPad games being show.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem - Why save the best for last, let's just start off with the best thing I've seen so far, Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem. This new game from Gameloft is based on the Spider-Man comics, not the movies. And the game shows it's comic roots. While the game is still pretty early, it's showing really great promise. No release date yet, but expect it fairly soon. Take a look at the trailer released today by Gameloft.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 - Next up, that speedy blue hedgehog turns up again in Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 for the iPhone. This, unlike the previous Sonic for the iPhone is an all new game with new graphics designed for the iPhone, not an emulated classic. The game overall looked well defined, bright, and very speedy.
Dungeon Hunter II - Another Gameloft title caught my eye today as well, this sequel dungeon game looked amazing on a demo 3GS with great lighting effects and 3D graphics. Dungeon Hunter II should be hitting the app store soon. While I only had a little time with it I was really impressed with the lighting effects and the smooth gameplay.
Zombie Wonderland - Next up, zombies and more zombies. Chillingo had a few game developers to show off. Among them two vastly different, but good, zombie games. Zombie Wonderland is a sort of time management defense game. Your job is to guard the building you are in from the approaching zombies. You do this by tapping the zombies to shoot them, boarding up windows, and placing automatic machine guns. If the zombies get inside, you have to clean up their left behind goo before time runs out -- see, time management! Zombie Wonderland is available now for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and coming soon for the iPad.
Oddly, two of the largest iPhone game producing companies, EA and Activision, were not showing any new iPhone or iPad games. Very odd considering the size of the two companies.
I often wonder about iPhone gaming in its infancy. I get the feeling that developers are creating games in a bunch of different genres, feeling out which genres work, and which don't. It's obvious to me that platformers work fine, along with tower defense, turn based strategy, and the occasional casual game... while 3D shooters struggle due to their lack of proper controls. RTS's are on the fence in my opinion. Part of me wants to say that they can't be done correctly due to the small screen size, but another part of me thinks that the touch screen options are too much to pass up. I've seen games like Warzone Inc. implement the RTS genre on the iPhone quite nicely, but I'm still waiting for that killer app.
Ready to take on this hurdle is Vogster entertainment with their game, Robocalypse. Robocalypse is an RTS in the Warcraft 2 mold, with a good balance between lighthearted graphics and action. Written by Micah Wright and Jay Lender (an ex-writer for Spongebob), Robocalypse offers a full, 17 mission single player campaign on top of 18 multiplayer maps that can be played with 2-4 players. From what we saw of the game, it looks like an extremely funny, well executed RTS... possibly capable of outshining Command and Conquer when it arrives in the app store.
Vogster is expecting Robocalypse to launch Q3 2009.
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
E3 was definitely an exciting event, but there was nothing that promoted the uniqueness of the iPhone quite like Seek 'n Spell. Due to the lack of meeting space at E3, we decided that it would be best to take the game out to its intended play area, the great outdoors (aka, outside the convention center).
The goal of Seek 'n Spell is to spell out a word with letters that are virtually hidden all around you. After you have found a nice, open area, the game starts by scattering a bunch of letters across your iPhone map. Using GPS technology, you run around the field in an attempt to make as many words as possible. In our attempt at a game, Jeff and I faced off in a battle to the death. The rules were simple... the first one to spell a word wins. Due to time constraints and bizarre LA rain, we were forced to play a short match. My attempt at glory was quickly thwarted by Jeff, spelling something dumb like "WIN". Apparently trying to spell "antidisestablishmentarianism" right off the bat wasn't a smart move. Such is life.
Although I lost, I had a blast nimbly jumping over concrete barriers to quickly grab the 25+ tiles I needed for my word (I only got 3). Apparently I'm not the only one that has had fun with the game in the last few weeks... COAP 2009 (Come Out And Play) awarded Seek 'n Spell with the "Best Use of Technology" award, which it definitely deserves.
Be sure to check out Seek 'n Spell in the App Store, and if you like it, join up with the Retronym team in San Fran for one of their soon to be legendary Seek 'n Spell meetups.
iPhone App - Designed for iPhone, compatible with iPad
Red Rocket Games is new to the iPhone, and their first game, Little Runner is a fun, simple casual game where you level the path of you never-stopping little runner. You do this by raising and lowering pieces of the road before the runner gets there. There are slight changes to keep things interesting with each increasing level. Take a look at the trailer here:
[youtube BoG7z2wy0T4]
The music is good, and it's a good simple little game at $0.99.
Mevo - Simplified Rhythm Game
Red Rocket also announced a new music based rhythm game, Mevo. It's a simplified rhythm game with just left and right on screen buttons, instead of the usual four, in time to the beat of the songs. The better you are with the rhythm, the better your little guy moves.
The app should be submitted to the app store soon and looks promising as a perhaps more casual rhythm game. Screen shots are below.
As the Editor in Chief of 148apps.com, I feel that it is appropriate to give my thoughts, however crazy they might be, about the website, and perhaps more importantly, the wonderful world of iPhone apps.
My thoughts today are swirling around E3, the mega gaming convention in LA that I will be going to from June 2-4. It’s amazing that in only a year the app store has gone from absolutely nothing to making a major splash at international gaming conventions. Looking back at my youth, I never would’ve guessed that EA, the makers of legendary games such as System Shock and Skate or Die (remember that one!), would be showcasing games made for a phone... and that I would finally be going to E3 to play them. It's exciting to think that soon (hopefully sooner that later) the iPhone may be seen as a legitimate gaming platform, competing with the Nintendo’s and Sega’s of the world. Later on this week, Bonnie, inspired by her recent review of Zenonia, will be finishing up an amazing piece on the state of iPhone gaming, which I believe will sum up the feelings of many iPhone owning gamers... the iPhone needs more full-length games!
With this in mind, I can’t wait to see the games that will be on display during the convention. Jeff and I will be meeting with a number of developers during the convention to get their take on the future of the platform, and I’m sure that the answers will be extremely exciting.
Also on my plate is our new forum, which we hope will become as big as the website itself. The iPhone, with its
The next few weeks are going to be exciting for the iPhone community. First up we have E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo in LA. This huge video game conference is where all of the great hardware and games get announced for the year. While the iPhone isn't going to play a major role in this show, it will likely make a larger showing than any other mobile phone has in the past. We'll be reporting from the show any fantastic things we come across.
The week following that, WWDC will be in San Francisco. This yearly developers conference hosted by Apple is where all the big iPhone news comes out. Or at least it has in the past. While rumors are mixed, we could see the release of the 3.0 OS, and maybe even a new iPhone or two. We'll keep you posted.
148Apps will be a sponsor the the second iPhone Developers Union meet up at WWDC. The event will be held at Jillians in the Metreon on Monday night, June 8th at 7pm. For more information, see the @iPhoneDevUnion Twitter stream.
If you're an iPhone developer, we'd love to meet up with you at either conference and see what you are working on. Just let us know what time is good for you. Send us an email or hit us up on Twitter.
