After an amazing amount of anticipation on our forums, Eliminate is finally playable for our Canadian friends. Like we mentioned in our previous post, ngmoco is using this initial Canadian launch as a large-scale beta test to guarantee the servers hosting the game are running as well as they should be when Eliminate is finally released in to the wild. Things are still being tuned and tweaked, so I'm reluctant to offer many gameplay specifics as ngmoco indicated to us that quite a few elements of the game are going to be in flux while they make their final adjustments.
What I am willing to say is that playing Eliminate with real people is every bit as awesome as I imagined it being. The last time I had played the game was for our hands on preview we posted earlier this month. So far I've yet to notice any major differences, so everything mentioned in our preview is still accurate short of the energy recharge period which ngmoco says still has not been finalized.
So far the Canadian beta has been lag free, and I've always been able to find a game almost instantly. One of the things I've been dying to find out is how Eliminate performs over 3G, and so far it seems to play just fine. Already the Plus+ leaderboards are filling up as more and more people download and install the game, and I can't wait to see how many people are online tomorrow.
Even in its current beta status, Eliminate is receiving rave reviews on our forums and has seemed to ether meet or exceed the expectations of nearly everyone lucky enough to have a Canadian iTunes account. We have our fingers crossed that the beta goes smoothly and quickly, and as soon as the game is officially released worldwide we will post an in-depth look at the game.
id Software's Doom Classic finally appeared in the App Store after a lengthy wait. John Carmack, himself, seems to have done most of the work in reviving this classic title for the iPhone. Doom Classic brings four episodes across 36 levels and revamps the control system to a touch-screen friendly system.
Those familiar with the Wolfenstein 3D Classic controls will likely feel at home with the adapted Doom controls but there have been several upgrades to the system. Doom Classic offers 3 different control systems with the option of adding accelerometer strafing. These include:
1. Combined single stick for movement and turning
2. Left stick movement, Right stick turning
3. Left stick movement, Right wheel turning
Each of the controls can be customized further by dragging and dropping them on the screen to the desired location. Notably, the sticks are now "floating" sticks by default that allow more freedom in where you place your fingers down.
The #1 control option offers the benefit of simplicity, with a single stick for movement, though at the sacrifice of pure left/right strafing which is more easily accomplished with the #2 control method. Controls seemed a bit sensitive during my early play with no options to adjust the degree of sensitivity.
The following gameplay video shows the different default methods in action:
Meanwhile, there are a number of control customization options, including the ability to fix the location of the controls (similar to Wolf 3D) or turn the control graphics off completely and just use the left/right sides of the screen. This latter option allows the game to emulate the other first person shooter controls that we've seen in Eliminate and Modern Combat. So far, this has been my favorite combination: #2 with Draw Controls: Off and Auto Use: On (so you don't have to tap on doors to open them), and sensitivity here seems better, but not perfect.
When we spoke to Carmack back in June, he had big plans for the Doom franchise on the iPhone, including adding the ability to purchase in-app content for Doom 2, Ultimate Doom, Final Doom, Master Levels.
This initial release also contains multiplayer, but it is local multiplayer only (WiFi). Competitive internet multiplayer was listed a possibility for a later update when we spoke to Carmack in June.
One of the most anticipated titles that we can remember, id Software's Doom Classic is now in the App Store. The game includes the original three episodes as well as Episode Four, They Flesh Consumed. Features include:
Fight through 36 missions in four action-packed episodes
Experience DOOM multiplayer on your mobile device, including Deathmatch and Cooperative play for up to four players via wireless internet
Choose from three different control types and customize the interface to suit your style
While we all wait for Doom Classic to be approved in the App Store, id Software has released a major update to their popular Wolfenstein 3D Classic game which adds a ton of new content.
Features include:
Now with the Spear of Destiny levels – 21 total new maps
5 new Bosses
New enemy – Ghosts
Download custom made maps
Double tap to Zoom in-game map
id Software trivia section
Scrolling map selection menus
The update is free for existing Wolfenstein 3D Classic owners and remains at only $1.99. The map download instructions are detailed here. Instead of in-app downloads, id allows you to distribute .map files through Safari which load the maps directly into Wolfenstein 3D on the iPhone. To create levels, you will need to download a Wolfenstein 3D map editor for your computer.
Following ngmoco's announcement that their upcoming online multiplayer deathmatch game Eliminate is going to be free, our forums have absolutely exploded with activity. Anxious gamers who can't wait to have Eliminate in their hands have created an unstoppable juggernaut of a thread that recently topped 6,000 posts with over 160,000 views. Eliminate is in Apple's hands, and hopefully will be approved and on the App Store soon.
In the meantime, ngmoco released another gameplay video. While it's obviously not as good as playing the game itself, it gives you a fairly good idea of the kind of fast-paced gameplay you can expect in the world of Eliminate.
We just got word from John Carmack himself that Doom Classic was recently submitted to Apple for approval.
According to our previous interview with Carmack, Doom Classic will stay faithful to the original with OpenGL rendered graphics along with slightly better sound quality and a "brand new finely crafted control system".
Recently he posted in our forums asking for opinions on how our forum members preferred controlling first person shooters on the platform, so it should be interesting to see how much of this feedback gets implemented in to the actual game.
We will have more information on Doom Classic and its impending release next week.
We first played Eliminate back at WWDC, and while there wasn't much to the game at that time, it was clear there was potential for something remarkable. This week we played what was one of the final builds of the game before its submission to Apple, and after my limited time with the game it's extremely difficult to find anything negative at all to say about the entire experience.
First off, in case you've managed to miss out on previous Eliminate (also previously known as LiveFire and KillTest) coverage, here's the basic premise of the game– You are an employee of Arsenal Megacorp, a weapons manufacturer whose secret to success is that all their weaponry is tested on live humans.
As an employee in the company you compete in four player deathmatches with other employees either via 3G or WiFi. The premise of the game is extremely clever, and I really recommend reading the memos and watching the videos on the Eliminate web site.
The controls work very similar to other first person shooters on the platform, with two virtual joysticks (though you can "touch anywhere") that handle your movement and aiming. Firing your weapon can either be done by tapping your left thumb on the screen, or enabling auto-fire in the game's options. With that turned on, any time there is an enemy in your crosshairs you will automatically fire. Flicking the left side of the screen causes your view to quickly spin around, allowing you to quickly and easily target things all around you.
Today ngmoco released two new videos on their upcoming four player online deathmatch game, Eliminate. Like all ngmoco releases, Eliminate is shrouded in secrecy and little bits of information are slowly being unveiled as the game gets closer to its impending release. Regardless, these two videos have quite a few interesting details in them and are much more meaty than your average ngmoco teaser. Both are worth a look if you're at all interested in Eliminate.
The first video released is a short trailer in the same style of the previous Eliminate trailers that exhibit the various technologies offered by Arsenal Megacorp, your employer in the game:
The second video clip is from the latest episode of the ngmoshow where producer Chris Plummer walks us through the upgrade system and the various weapon and armor available for purchase in-game:
The in-game energy and credit system has been a highly controversial topic on our forums since they were both revealed. Something to consider though, per our WWDC coverage of the game, Eliminate will have an in-depth performance tracking system to match players up with other players of similar skill.
If this system works as intended, there will likely never be situations where you are in game getting stomped by players who have been able to purchase much better equipment than you. Those players will have ranked up enough that they will be fighting with players of similar skill and gear levels, leaving newer and lesser equipped players to compete on a more even playing field.
Details are still sketchy on most of the features of Eliminate, but in the meantime feel free to follow the official thread on our forums.
The App Store seems to go in cycles with releases and upgrades coming in waves. Tonight a number of long awaited game updates have appeared, including Duke Nukem.
Here's a partial list:
Duke Nukem 3D ($2.99) – The long awaited control system update is now available. This fixes the issue with the analog controls. The controls are fully adjustable and many find them to be too sensitive on the default settings, so be sure to adjust these until you find a liking. The controls are still perhaps not ideal, but are much improved.
Samurai: Way of the Warrior ($2.99) – Stability and performance improvements and…. "minor game balancing" including that of level 3.
Archon ($2.99) – New 1 player campaign mode called "Conquest" which is said to add hours of individual play.
Wild West Pinball ($0.99 – New missions, music, tilt, and fixed camera option.
The Deep Pinball ($0.99) – OS 2.x compatibility, and fixed camera option
Back when rumblings of the iPhone hadn't even crossed the minds of Apple rumor hounds I rocked various cell phones and always knew Gameloft as "that company with lots of brick breaking games for all kinds of different phones". With the advent of the iPhone, the debut of the App Store, and Gameloft's first entries into said uncharted digital territory, I half expected this mental image of mine to persist. It is amazing to me that in the span of barely over a year Gameloft went from simple solitaire and match three games to providing us with one of the most immersive first person shooter experiences on the iPhone to date.
Modern Combat: Sandstorm [App Store] is by far one of the most impressive gaming experiences I've seen on the App Store, and easily is able to hold its own when compared to the technical accomplishments of other remarkable efforts in pushing the iPhone to its limits like Real Racing, Doom Resurrection, and others. Featuring multiple full motion video cut scenes all of standard Gameloft quality, complete in-game voice overs, impressive AI, top notch graphics, fluid frame rates, and controls that even surprised this skeptic of virtual analog sticks.
The game begins like a lot of console first person shooters where you're put through a "basic training" of sorts that gradually teaches you the different controls, weapons, and techniques of the game while making you feel like you're playing a game instead of a tutorial. The default control scheme works quite well, a virtual joystick is in the bottom corner that controls your movement, and swiping anywhere on the screen controls your view. In the bottom right corner is a button to fire, and whenever you can do context sensitive things like jump off a ledge or toss a grenade back at an enemy another button appears in the bottom center of the screen.
Framing the rest of the screen are buttons that allow you to crouch, zoom in to aim through the sights of your gun, throw grenades, change or reload weapons, and pause the game. Other control options include splitting the screen in half, touching the left side of the screen controls your movement and the right controls your view. Tapping on the right side of the screen also fires. You can also use dual analog sticks, then tap anywhere on the screen to fire. The sensitivity can be tweaked and the Y-axis can be inverted regardless of which option you choose.
If you follow Touch Arcade, you probably know by now that I'm generally not a fan of on-screen virtual controls. They usually feel clunky and often lack the precision required in a lot of games that come with them. It's completely refreshing, and honestly a little surprising how much Gameloft managed to nail the controls of Sandstorm. It's great to just be able to say the game is fun to play without the qualifier "…as best as can be expected with on-screen controls".
Sandstorm features the same generous auto-aiming system that appears in other Gameloft shooters. If this assistance grinds your gears, you will be happy to know that there's an advanced options screen where you can toggle it on and off along with the in-game blood, lefty mode, and screen flip.
The plot of Sandstorm won't be winning any awards for originality, as it's a fairly cookie cutter premise centralized around conflicts in the middle east, evil terrorists, and the trials and tribulations of your military squad as you fight your way through the various bands of enemy combatants standing between you and the various objectives. The story gets the job done, and your squad, complete with total voice-overs for all dialog really adds to the overall immersion of the game.
Official trailer:
One clever thing Gameloft did with voice-overs is the way the mission briefings work. Between each level, you're given an overview of the situation your squad is in, the objectives, and your rules of engagement that are all wonderfully narrated. As you're listening to the briefing of the upcoming mission, the next level is loading behind the scenes. When the narration is finished, you hit next and play the level. These sneaky loading screens make the game feel as if it almost has no load times at all.
The AI in Sandstorm is fairly challenging, with enemies often taking cover, advancing when you take cover, manning nearby stationary machine guns, and even tossing grenades. This really goes a long way in making Sandstorm actually feel like a game where you need to be intelligent about cover and which enemies you shoot first, as opposed to most first person shooters on the iPhone that feel a bit like a shooting gallery where you can basically just run and gun your way through most levels without much risk. If you decide to just run out in to the open, guns-a-blazin' in Sandstorm, you will quickly die.
Gameloft games are rarely very innovative, and Sandstorm is no different. If it came with the Call of Duty brand name plastered on it, you would be hard time knowing it was developed by Gameloft instead of Infinity Ward, makers of the Call of Duty series. Everything is extremely similar from the objective system to the arrow pointing you where to go next to the regenerative health system where all you need to do is seek cover for a few seconds to regain your strength to avoid dying. I don't really think this is a bad thing, because the Call of Duty series consists of excellent games, and Gameloft has really done the series justice in this highly inspired spin-off.
Included in the initial launch version of Sandstorm are 10 levels, and I've been averaging anywhere between 15 to 20 minutes per level as I make my way through the game on normal difficulty. Each level comes with a variety of checkpoints so if you die you never lose too much progress. What is quite confusing to me is that the game apparently only saves your progress as you complete levels. If you're 10 minutes into a mission and have passed multiple checkpoints, quitting the game to take a phone call or answer a text message forces you to start back at the beginning. This seems like a big oversight to me, and I hope that this would be fixed in an update.
Speaking of updates, Gameloft has promised a free future update to add online multiplayer to Sandstorm. We don't have any more details than that currently, but the game does give me some serious Counter-Strike 1.6 vibes. I have no doubt it would makes the dreams of countless gamers come true if the upcoming multiplayer update included squad-based objectives instead of simple deathmatch. After all, they've already practically got the texture and model set required for a fairly accurate reproduction of the Counter-Strike map de_dust in game already!
Hands on gameplay video (on easy, and with multiple takes):
Modern Combat: Sandstorm is an excellent game that raises the bar of what is to be expected of future first person shooters on the iPhone, as well as being added to the short list of games with fantastic on-screen controls. The three included difficulty levels should provide a fun experience for first person shooter veterans and newcomers alike, and while I'm not entirely sure how much replay value the game has, there is massive potential in the future multiplayer update.
If you're at all interested in shooters, or are just looking for a great game to flex the muscles of your iPhone, look no further than Modern Combat: Sandstorm.
After an amazing amount of anticipation on our forums, Eliminate is finally playable for our Canadian friends. Like we mentioned in our previous post, ngmoco is using this initial Canadian launch as a large-scale beta test to guarantee the servers hosting the game are running as well as they should be when Eliminate is finally released in to the wild. Things are still being tuned and tweaked, so I'm reluctant to offer many gameplay specifics as ngmoco indicated to us that quite a few elements of the game are going to be in flux while they make their final adjustments.
What I am willing to say is that playing Eliminate with real people is every bit as awesome as I imagined it being. The last time I had played the game was for our hands on preview we posted earlier this month. So far I've yet to notice any major differences, so everything mentioned in our preview is still accurate short of the energy recharge period which ngmoco says still has not been finalized.
Following ngmoco's announcement that their upcoming online multiplayer deathmatch game 
We just got word from John Carmack himself that Doom Classic was recently submitted to Apple for approval.
We first played Eliminate back at WWDC, and while there wasn't much to the game at that time, it was clear there was potential for something remarkable. This week we played what was one of the final builds of the game before its submission to Apple, and after my limited time with the game it's extremely difficult to find anything negative at all to say about the entire experience.
Today ngmoco released two new videos on their upcoming four player online deathmatch game, Eliminate. Like all ngmoco releases, Eliminate is shrouded in secrecy and little bits of information are slowly being unveiled as the game gets closer to its impending release. Regardless, these two videos have quite a few interesting details in them and are much more meaty than your average ngmoco teaser. Both are worth a look if you're at all interested in Eliminate.
The App Store seems to go in cycles with releases and upgrades coming in waves. Tonight a number of long awaited game updates have appeared, including Duke Nukem. 
