Taito's 'Arkanoid' Arrives in App Store
posted September 7th, 2009 12:08 AM EDT by arn in $4.99, Action, Retro, iPhone games, iPod touch games
This is turning out to be a great weekend for retro gamers. Hot on the heels of C64, comes Taito's classic Arkanoid [$4.99] game for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Arkanoid for iPhone brings back the 1986 brick-breaker with some additional enhancements.
- Over 100 stages
- Branching level progression
- Many boss battles
- VS two player mode
Arkanoid is the 1986 brick breaker that modernized Breakout. Arkanoid introduced special bricks, enemy ships, power ups and more to the classic brick breaking formula.
Here's a hands on video from AppBank with the Japanese language iPhone version. The U.S. version is otherwise identical.
The game certainly brings Arkanoid back with proportionally the same levels scales as the original arcade game. This means that everything will seem a bit small on your iPhone screen compared to other brick breakers we've seen. The size and color of the ball can cause it to get lost in some of the backgrounds of the game, but those can be turned "off" to give you a clearer view. The sliding touch control worked well and accurately, and the game played well. The game comes with 3 levels of difficulty.
Fans of the original will get a blast from the past as the sound effects are identical. Taito also promises big boss battles later in the game:
We obviously haven't played it far enough yet to encounter the bosses. The game also teases you with two unlockable menu options and also offers a head-to-head two player mode in which each player gets a paddle on opposite sides of the screen. Power-up pills picked up can negatively impact your opponent (shrinking paddle, for example).
App Store Link: Arkanoid, $4.99
This game is way too late on the iPhone.
There are some fantastic clones out there right now.
Compared to them, this just looks old and veeery boring.
Should have been released 1 year ago, then it would have
been something to speak about. But now. No.
It was one of the originators but that doesn't mean I want to buy it. I already have 5 different variations of these and this one doesn't look unique to even spend a dollar on it. Their remix version of Space Invaders was an awesome idea but this doesn't look like anything special.
US$4.99 is a little high, but the retro value of this game might be worth it.
As an Apple IIGS user I believe this is the first game that is available for the Apple IIGS that goes on sale on App Store! Now I am waiting for Zany Golf…
I'll wait till it's cheaper… much cheaper.
Nice retro release.But one thing disturbs me here and in several other games..The sccreen of the iphone is small.Why is there this usless frame with hi score,rounds,pause signs.
We need the gameplay full screen, not so small!
Looks pretty nice and I'd much, much rather buy the real deal instead of a clone/knock off, but it looks like it could use a the Pac Man Championship/Space Invaders Infinity Gene treatment and receive some sort of stylistic upgrade.
I saw this and immediately bought it. I was surprised I beat it on the first try on medium difficulty starting with 3 lives. I think I lost 3 lives throughout the entire game and, of course, I must've picked up extra lives along the way. I should qualify this by saying that I once stayed on the *arcade* machine once for 45 minutes with one quarter… so I look forward to a more difficult setting.
All in all, I really like it, but I don't know why sometimes on the later levels it becomes jerky when there are three balls moving incredibly fast. This didn't happen on the 1986 arcade version and I believe the iPhone's capabilities are a bit better than the graphics processing on that machine!
This is sweet but at 99 cents not 5 bucks..like someone said above if this was a year or so ago then maybe but not now..
I seriously don't get how people complain about paying $5 for an iPhone app. Do people really get more enjoyment out of a tall Starbucks latte which you'll finish in a half hour than from an iPhone app that was developed by a team and ported to a mobile platform which you can play for hours?
I wouldn't pay $5 for either of them, they're both rip offs
That's comparing apples to oranges, so your comparison is irrelevant.
But to answer your question, $5 for a game that's already available nearly a dozen times over at $.99, several of which have more features, is why.
Why does everyone compare the price of a latte to apps? Not everyone drinks coffee and even so, your analogy is terrible. People will prefer to pay for something they will enjoy over something they will not. Taito is late, and the clones out there already provide more value per dollar.
Haha so true. This game or anything is better then having a drink from greenbucks. I am debating on getting this since picking up C64 app. Loving how retro is getting it's sexy back
too little too late Taito!
$5!!!! I've been saving for months for a Pokemon T-Shirt. Buying this game will set me back for weeks!!!!
Seriously, now. The DS version is $20 (without the paddle). Anyone that complains about the price of a game should have to post their age with their comment.
As a die hard Arkanoid player in the late '80s (I finished the original on one quarter), I snapped this one up right away. I'd really like a PS3 version, complete with a Bluetooth paddle controller (I still regret getting rid of the Nintendo version with the custom controller), but I guess this'll have to do for now.
I loved the original Arkanoid on my II GS, but I wouldn't want it for iPhone. What I'd like is a full updated app for the Mac.
It is possible to play the original arcade game (as well as the sequel, The Revenge of Doh) on your Mac on MAME OS X…
Love it at 99 cents, it's a dog with fleas and $4.99.
it's a dog with fleas *at* $4.99 I mean
Why is there lag in the controls? It's minor, but it's definitely there, and a real buzzkill.
That paddle needs to track along with your finger 1-to-1!