E3 opened today in sunny Los Angeles, California and if you've never been to the event the sheer scale is absolutely dumbfounding. There are people in costume everywhere, someone passing you a free energy drink on every corner, and the booths that the big players of the video game world have set up are beyond amazing.
The first appointment we had today was with Sega who gave us a hands on of their upcoming game Sonic 4 for the iPhone. The release is still TBA beyond "late 2010", as Sega seems very concerned with getting the game right instead of just throwing it out there like other recent Sonic games which have all been fairly mediocre going all the way back to Dreamcast Sonic games. Sonic 4 actually was a lot of fun to play, and as you can see from the video, shares quite a bit of the look and feel of classic Sonic games:
With both tilt and touch controls as well as the same amount of content found in the game on other consoles, Sonic 4 is really working up to be something special. I was cautiously optimistic when Sega announced the delay of the game, and it really seems like they're taking their time to make a game that anyone who looks back to the days of classic 16 bit fast-paced platformers will enjoy.
Details are sketchy on this one, but besides Final Fantasy Tactics, it appears Square Enix is also delivering Secret of Mana to the iPhone. The above/right photo by @rpgfancom.
Secret of Mana is an action role-playing game that was originally released in 1993. The game was re-released for Wii in 2008 and ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009.
Square Enix has releveaed that they will be bringing Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of Lions to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The official release date is scheduled for September 15, 2010.
In 2007, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: The War of the Lions delivered a 1997 PlayStation® fan-favorite to a new generation of players on the PSP® (PlayStation Portable) system. Featuring an array of enhancements to the original FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, including breathtakingly beautiful CG movies, additional characters and jobs, and an all-new English translation, the critically acclaimed FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: The War of the Lions now makes its way to iPhone® and iPod touch®.
Peer through the eyes of young heroes Ramza and Delita, and uncover the secrets that lie hidden within history’s darkened folds.
An E3 trailer has been released for the game:
News continues to trickle out from E3. We'll have more details as we get them.
Capcom has finally released screenshots for the iPhone version of its classic shoot 'em up 1942. It was hinted that 1942 would make its way to the iPhone back at E3 2009, but we haven't heard much of the game again until now:
1942 was first released in 1984 for the arcade. It gave way to the sequel 1943: The Battle of Midway. Stay tuned.
Before E3 even started we met up with Nathan Vella of Capybara Games, creators of Critter Crunch [$1.99 / Free]. They've teamed up with Superbrothers and Jim Guthrie to create what we thought was the most amazing game at GDC this year. Three months later, and while the game looks very similar, they've significantly refined everything from the menus, to the camera system, and everything in between. Also, since the release of the iPad, they've also committed to releasing both an iPad and iPhone version of the game. Today we were shown the iPad version, and Superbrothers' pixel art looked absolutely fantastic on the larger screen.
I grabbed my camera and had Nathan explain "side A" of the game, which covers all the new controls, inventory system, additional in-game goodies, and the consequences of your actions in the world of Sword & Sworcery.
Since the developers are shooting for Sword & Sworcery to be an experience similar to an EP, the game is split in to two different sides. "Side B" isn't finished yet, but here is as much of it as they're willing to show at this point:
Sword & Sworcery looks gorgeous on the iPad screen, and as you can see from the videos is extremely simple to play. The team behind the game don't plan on releasing it until it provides the exact experience they're shooting for. The game itself will be content complete at the end of this month, and according to Vella, will then require a few months of polishing which should hopefully mean a release sometime in August.
In the meantime, here is a whole new set of iPad-resolution screenshots to whet your Sword & Sworcery appetite:
We've been told that there's a new trailer in the works that should be released in the next couple of weeks. We're following this game very closely, so stay tuned for even more Sword & Sworcery action.
Back in January, we got pretty excited about the Parrot AR.Drone Quadicoptor. The Parrot AR.Drone remote control quadricopter is controlled by creating its own WiFi network that either an iPhone or an iPod Touch connects to. The Parrot AR.Drone is then maneuvered using the accelerometers of the iPhone combined with a video feed from the forward facing camera on the drone itself. A smart piloting system intelligently compensates for wind and other environmental conditions, and utilizing a second camera which faces the ground can perform a stationary flight on its own.
We had some hands-on time with it back at CES, and were impressed:
Of course, the big question on everyone's mind was "when" and "how much". Ars Technica reports that the Parrot AR.Drone will finally go on sale this September at a price of $299. The device itself is only so exciting on its own, but combined with its open SDK, Parrot is hoping that developers will take advantage of the device's controls and cameras to create augmented reality games. At least a couple of these titles are said to be available at launch.
We knew SEGA would be at E3 showing off their latest Sonic title, so it should come as no surprise that Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is part of their press pack that they have started distributing.
Unfortunately, SEGA didn't seem to bother placing any iPhone screenshots amongst the assets. So here's the closest approximation that we have.
Sonic 4 was previously confirmed for iPhone but isn't due until the second half of 2010. The previously released this trailer last month as a teaser for the game.
We're hoping to see a playable iPhone version of Sonic 4 at E3 this week.
We are going to be attending both WWDC in San Francisco as well as E3 this month. WWDC runs from the 7th to the 11th at the Moscone Convention Center, and E3 goes from the 15th to the 17th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Readers can look forward to an avalanche of news, game previews, and other interesting things from both events.
Coverage from these events in 2009 is viewable either by taking a look at the E3 Expo 2009 or WWDC 2009 categories.
WWDC will likely bring about the official announcement of the new iPhone, even more iPhone OS 4.0 details, and potentially several other things floating around the Apple rumor mill during the keynote on the morning of the 7th. While game coverage from WWDC will likely focus on games by the various indie developers in attendance, the big players of the gaming industry will be in full force at E3. We're expecting a Sonic 4 hands on, and many other exciting developments from well known console game developers/publishers throwing their hats in to the iPhone ring.
If you're a developer or publisher and would like to meet up at either WWDC or E3, send us an email at tips@toucharcade.com or send me a message via AIM to schedule an appointment. Our event schedules usually fill up very quickly, so don't wait to long if you have something you'd like to show us.
Mobile developer Vogster was also present at E3 showing off their first iPhone title Robocalypse. Robocalypse was an award-winning real time strategy game that was originally released for the Nintendo DS in 2008 and is now coming to the iPhone.
Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem for the iPhone features all the zany characters, hilarious dialog and fast-paced, yet accessible action of the original game. In Robocalypse – Mobile Mayhem, players will build and command robot armies to fend off attacks from the evil Demolisher and his near-endless supply of maniacal mechanical marauders.
The game has been adapted to the iPhone with enhanced graphics, music and improved play area.
The game includes 17 single player missions as well as 18 multiplayer (Wi-Fi) missions in both head-to-head and coop modes. Vogster is also hard at work at online multiplayer but can't promise it will make it into the initial release. There are 10 different robot units to use each with different skills, weapons and personalities.
Vogster has posted this trailer of the upcoming game which gives you quick glance at the title, but we've also recorded a walkthrough of the game at E3 which we will post shortly.
Though you may not have heard of iPhone developer Muteki, you've probably already played one of their games. The company has been around for about 3 years and started as a consulting/contracting company for previous mobile platforms. When the iPhone SDK launched, however, Muteki teamed up with Ngmoco and was the development team behind Maze Finger [App Store] and Topple 2 [App Store].
While still enjoying a good relationship with their partners, Muteki is starting to release a few titles under their own brand. They found that their employees simply loved making games and would pursue their own projects after-hours. Rather than stifling that creativity, Muteki is encouraging it and nurturing these promising "homemade" projects. Muteki President Bryan Sawler explains:
The main goal for this series of games is to find a single focused gameplay element and try to really do as much as we can with it.
They are poised to released two of these games in the near future.
The first, which is due any day now, is called Master Jumperton and is another game that is reminiscent of Skybound. The game involves jumping higher and higher by drawing platforms beneath the character. In the meanwhile, you must avoid various baddies while bouncing to higher scores. Global leaderboards will allow you to see how you rank compared to the world.
The second game is one that I was particularly interested in. It's rare that I see a game and think to myself "I love it", but that's what I thought about The Battle of Pirate Bay. Superficially, the game might remind people of Flight Control but the gameplay mechanic seems much more strategic.
The game involves controlling 3 ships by simple swipe controls to defend against the attacking pirates. The big ship is the slowest but has the longest attack range. The small ship is fast but has a very short attack range. And of course, the middle size ship is somewhere in the middle.
Each ship has limited ammo that can be replenished by incoming supply vessels. Your job is to defend your home base as long as possible.
Both The Battle of Pirate Bay and Master Jumperton will be $0.99 games, and Muteki has committed to at least a couple of updates to each game.
They also have an interesting plan to involve the players themselves in feature planning by allowing in-game voting to find out which updates are most wanted. They envision a quick voting choice to appear in-app and results will be sent back to their central server. This way, they will know which features to prioritize for their customers.
Besides Marble Madness, Handheld Games also showed us a couple of their own titles coming the App Store.
The first title is called Batting 1000 and is a bit of a cross of baseball and bowling. True to its title, the game is primarily a batting tournament where you try to do you best across 10 rounds of play. The game is well rendered in 3D akin to Handheld Games' Touch Sports Tennis. Controls are simple and involve swiping upward at the right time to connect with the pitch. The direction of the swipe will affect the direction of the baseball. Handheld Games CEO Thomas Fessler walks us through the game:
The second game is called Lock 'n Load and is a survival shooter in which you are defending your bunker. The game is still at least a month away so several of the details remain in flux. Multiple weapons, power-ups and extras are planned, as well as the eventual possibility of different "skins" or themes.
At E3, we met with 17 year old developer Josh Rosen who had an early build of his upcoming game SciFly 2. Rosen kicked off his iPhone developing career with his original dogfighting game SciFly [App Store]. The original version of SciFly was successful enough to encourage him to dedicate more time and energy into programming. Rosen has been programming since age 10 or 11 and has always had a strong interest in game development.
The early of SciFly 2 shows a more ambitious project with the introduction of various upgrades, weapons and enemies. The game is presented in a single world map with multiple islands. Each island must be overtaken by destroying all enemies. Movement from one "level" to another simply involves flying from one island to the next. This level system is similar to the linked island environments we saw in Glu's Glyder.
SciFly 2 offers multiple aircraft with differing abilities (damage, shield, speed, and armor) as well as various slots for upgrades (weapons, shields, thrust). Ships can additionally be customized by color as well.
This video of the current build shows off some customization and then actual combat:
I had the pleasure of meeting with iPhone developers Team Phobic at E3 this week. Team Phobic is a small development group based out of Boulder, Colorado that is responsible for iTD, Bounce On and, most recently, Micro Mayhem. Team Phobic is also a very active member of TouchArcade's forum community.
Bounce On seems to be their flagship product and they've continued to pour in massive amounts of effort to provide additional content to their iPhone platformer. While we took an early look at the game back in December, the developers have since added 3 additional "worlds" as free upgrades. The latest World 4 update was released just yesterday and brings a great new look as well as a number of new features to the platformer.
World 4 (Mystic Oasis) offers a number of nice new gameplay elements:
Speed ball power-up
16 new levels
New enemy
Traps
Physics puzzles
Boss level
This gameplay shows many of the new elements from World 4 as played by one of the members of Team Phobic -- so be warned, it's really not as easy as he makes it look:
So, if you passed up Bounce On before, now's the time to take another look. It's on sale for only $1.99 at the moment which is an amazing value.
Team Phobic revealed that there will be one more free world (World 5) added to Bounce On before they will consider it complete, and have also started work on Bounce On 2 which they promise will bring innovative new elements and look to the genre.
We had the opportunity to spend some time with Hands On Mobile at E3 and talk to them about their iPhone gaming plans as well as a look at some of their upcoming titles.
Hands On Mobile is a global game publisher that has been around for 6 or 7 years already and is amongst the top mobile game publishers in the world. While they've certainly had an interest in iPhone development, they are now readying a steady onslaught of titles into the App Store throughout the rest of the year. They are also planning on introducing their own original titles later this year and into 2010.
Hands On already has a couple of titles in the App Store and are responsible for Crystal Quest [$4.99] and 3D Hunting [$0.99] and also worked on Yetti Sports [$0.99] which is a port of a popular Flash game. In continuing that trend, they are near completion on a port of the original Kitty Cannon Flash game in which you try to launch a cat as far as you can. Several similar clones have already made its way into the App Store.
Our readers, however, are probably most familiar with Hands On as being the developers behind the first person shooter Prey Invasion that we first reported on back in February. Based on the PC and Xbox game, Prey for iPhone offers 5 levels of first person shooting action that should last you "a couple of hours" in gameplay time.
The controls for the game are very flexible with both dual analog stick controls (left movement, right look) as well as digital left/right up/down buttons. In either case, shooting is done by tapping on the screen. The analog controls are detailed nicely in this hands-on video:
E3 opened today in sunny Los Angeles, California and if you've never been to the event the sheer scale is absolutely dumbfounding. There are people in costume everywhere, someone passing you a free energy drink on every corner, and the booths that the big players of the video game world have set up are beyond amazing.
