Data East is Back: 'Magical Drop Touch' Available, 'Cobra Command' Coming
posted September 15th, 2009 3:37 AM EDT by arn in $2.99, Puzzle, Shooter, Upcoming Games, iPhone games, iPod touch games
Japanese game company Data East appears to be poised for a comeback on the iPhone platform — or at least their intellectual property is.
Data East Corporation actually went bankrupt in 2003, but most of its intellectual property was acquired by G-Mode. This includes the rights to classic titles such as Burger Time, Heavy Barrel, Karate Champ and more. Now we don't know if they are planning on bringing any of these titles to the iPhone, but G-Mode has already released one and are working with developer Revolutionary Concepts to publish another.
Magical Drop Touch
Magical Drop Touch [$2.99] for the iPhone became available just last week. This port of the classic arcade title has been revised with swipe controls.
Overall the game was ported well to the iPhone platform, but the swipe controls just don't keep up to the original joystick controls. The control speed was the one nagging issue to an otherwise well done port. For this reason, we've been unable to recommend it. Note that similar gameplay, but with better controls can be found in StormBASIC's DynoQuest [$1.99].
While we can hope for a control update on Magical Drop Touch, this entry does raise a number of interesting possibilities. And, tonight, we heard about the next Data East title coming to the iPhone.
Cobra Command
Revolutionary Concepts has announced that Data East's 1984 arcade game Cobra Command is also coming to the iPhone.
Originally released in 1984 by acclaimed Japanese arcade games company Data East ‘Cobra Command’ combined the use of hollywood-quality full motion video and surround sound, (the then leading-edge) Laser Disc technology, and overlaid computer generated graphics, to create a first of it’s kind interactive experience which saw you the player flying a state of the art futuristic combat helicopter across ten wide-ranging action-packed levels.
In conjunction with G-Mode, this new iPhone title will feature a number of iPhone specific features including:
- Full motion widescreen video, fully restored and presented in H.264 running at 60 frames per second.
- Vastly superior graphics and effects to match the on-screen action. Including an all new Cockpit, guns, missiles, and sound effects.
- Redesigned precision multi-touch controls.
- Accelerometer-based tilt steering! You really are in command of the worlds most awesome combat machine.
- Instantaneous seek time, providing a seamless experience where on on-screen action unfolds uninterrupted in real time.
- Unlockable Bonuses. Including Arcade Classic, and Expert Modes.
The game has been updated with enhanced graphics as shown here alongside the original graphics:
A video of the original game can be seen on YouTube. Cobra Command for iPhone is currently in play-testing and on track for release this October.
I'm strangely excited about Cobra Command. On one hand it's a terrible game, and yet so filled with nostalgia. Hopefully DE will bring their other Laser Disc titles to the iPhone. Bring on Time Gal!
Woah.. Is that gonna be 3-D cartoon style heli-madness? Wouldn't that be confusing??? Seeing it's 3D??
Awesome news! I miss the old Data East games, many containing that old 80's cheesiness lol.
Please bring back Dragon Ninja, and especially Midnight Resistance! I'd love to see new versions of those for the iPod/iPhone.
Wow, I used to own Cobra Command for the Sega CD, wasn't a big fan of it to be honest. Road Avenger on the other hand?…
@KD a little birdy told me Road Avenger aka Road Blaster is coming after work finishes on Cobra Command
I don't understand the 60fps video claim the devs make, as the original anime was only animated at around 15fps at most.
It's also rather deceptive to claim it has 'steering', as all you really do is hit a button at the right time to keep the video playing.
If you watched the video the devs just released you'd be eating those rather strong words my friend.
WOW!!!!
I can't wait for this. Screenshots look great.
And i've got my fingers crossed for "Road Avenger"
Maybe they could do "Night Trap" aswell woooooooooo
wow, I don't really remember playing the game, but I do remember that opening cinematic in the youtube video (so I must have played it). I wonder how they're going to have steering in a laserdisc video based game? Maybe what they meant is that you use the accel. to control turning at the right moments…
Karnov anyone?
Or how about Bad Dudes? I think I'm a bad enough dude to rescue the president on my iPhone!
i love cobracommand it my fva laser dsc game i think am going to buy me a iphone laser disc games are kool
never played the game before but you gotta love the art style. especially the explosions. it looks like a comic book or cartoon.
It's anime.
@ ArtFoundry
As I recall, there is no realtime steering, just time sensitive directional inputs, ala Space Ace, Dragon's lair but memory may be failing me as well.
I still look on the pictures and cannot believe it. WOW! This is so cool – I cannot wait. I´ve never seen something more rare and wanted now coming to the iDevices rebuilt with so much love for details.
Who ever had the idea and made this happen – thank you! In the name of all retro fans, who enjoyed the thrill, the original arcade machine gave us with all the cool manga style graphics. I will never forget those warships and easterislands and…
what day is cobracommand coming out
Yeah. It’s pretty crazy with all these DE titles coming back. I’ve been reading about “The Road Avenger” novel over at SEGA-16 also. That; combined with all these other developments like the DE titles coming to the Wii is just awesome. The “Road Blaster” novel info can be read at http://www.theroadavenger.com