Following on the heels of West Coast Hustle, Miami Vindication and Rio, Gameloft’s latest Gangstar entry, Gangstar Vegas [$6.99] brings the largest environment in the series by virtually recreating everybody’s favorite city of sin, Las Vegas.
I’ll get this out of the way quick so I don’t need to waste your time later – Gangstar Vegas is, in most ways, identical to Grand Theft Auto, from the way the missions are given to the dialog while driving to the types of missions available. The game also doesn't drastically change the way the other three Gangstar games played, but it does refine some mechanics from the previous ones.
As Jason Malone, a boxer who gets paid to take a dive by mobster Frank Valieno, you agree to throw the match, but during one round, you manage to get a hit in and you knock the other guy out cold. You win the fight, and while you didn't mean to, you’re now on Frank’s hit list. During this interactive prologue, you’re introduced to the hand-to-hand fighting controls.
Vegas’ tutorial introduces you to the main aspects of the game while documenting your escape from Frank. Everything is pretty straightforward. You’re able to steer your vehicle by tilting, but I found I was tilting my iPad like a wild man and still couldn't get around corners that easily. I fiddled with the sensitivity, but eventually just swapped to the virtual button steering option. You're able to change the control type for each different vehicle, should you be so inclined.
Well, this is weird. Breaking free of the Wednesday night release cycle, Gameloft's Gangstar Vegas [$6.99] hit the App Store at about 4:00 AM Central this morning. We've been covering Gangstar quite a bit, and with the release of the first of three developer diaries released this week we had our bets on a release next week at the earliest. But, hey, earlier is always better, right?
Initial impressions in our forums seem remarkably positive, which isn't that surprising considering how hyped up people have been for this game. We're giving it a download now, weighing in at a hefty 1.4GB straight from iTunes and 2.6GB installed, this is going to take a while, but we'll have more coverage on the game shortly.
Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright started out life on the Gameboy Advance system in Japan in 2001 and since then has seen multiple sequels, re-releases and even a spin-off. The original game has also seen a straight port to iPhone from the Nintendo DS. So, what makes this version so special, I hear you ask in your Barry White tone (okay, Betty White, in my case)?
Well! Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD [Free], as well as being a mouthful, marks the spikey-haired lawyer's first encounter with the Retina display and what's more, every case and trial from the original three games are available via IAP. You can even play one-handed in portrait mode, according to the official blurb. Though, try doing this on an iPad and you'll either need a grotesquely giant hand or tentacles.
If you've been living under a rock for the last decade or so, the Ace Attorney games see you taking on the persona of a quirky, noob lawyer named Phoenix, who sports a hairstyle not unlike Sonic the Hedgehog's and sweats a lot in an odd, manga fashion.
Few recent tactical strategy games have received such a large amount of attention as Frozen Synapse [$6.99 (HD)]. It has been praised for both its art style and excellent strategy gameplay. Starting on PC and Mac it has now found its way to iOS. While initially overwhelming with a busy interface and lengthy tutorial, Frozen Synapse is able to find a totally appropriate home on iOS.
In Frozen Synapse you take on the role of a tactician. Your task is direct a team of soldiers second by second. They can be ordered to move behind cover, fire a weapon, and many other options. Once all players have decided on the directions for their teams, the actions are carried out simultaneously. It calls to mind the X-wing Miniatures game as your success is based upon the ability to read the other player. Will they take cover or launch an offensive? In some modes of the game you are also locked into seeing only those enemies in your line of sight, which can be challenging. Beware, your sci-fi soldiers are very fragile and a single misstep can mean instant death. Matches usually last only a few rounds as players bluff and bait each other.
There are a myriad of ways to enjoy this title whether alone or with others. There is a fully functional AI in the game which can allow for quick matches. This little buddy is no pushover; you will die often. It is no wonder the developers recommend this mode as the best teacher after finishing the tutorial. The game also features an excellent campaign mode with a story spanning several levels. These range from straightforward skirmishes to more complex missions of capture or defense. It is the gameplay that stands out, but the story certainly has its strong points.
Frozen Synapse really shines when playing with others. The online play features a separate login and a full blown PC-esque lobby. There are always plenty of people online and games can be completed live or in an asynchronous fashion. You can play with friends, complete strangers, or participate in tournaments. It really is a full fledged online system, the likes of which is rarely seen on iOS. This version also features Hotseat mode which is great for mobile as you can pass the iPad around a room and play with your friends in one location. If you find online play too insular or intimidating, this is an excellent way to play with friends on your terms.
This game comes packed with many hours of content- The campaign will take you some time to complete and then there are untold hours of play both online and off. There are dozens of maps, different unit types, several game modes, and on and on. I was impressed by the amount of things to do. Frozen Synapse is an exercise in complex simplicity. On the service the controls are simple taps and turns, but to really succeed it will require practice. This process can be terribly rewarding, and even games you struggle in will end quickly.
It is this hidden complexity that provides some challenges for this app. The number of choices available to you at any moment make the interface large and somewhat confusing. To really succeed at the game you will have to learn all of these options and know when best to ask them. For a new player they can look downright baffling and it would be great to see a more interactive tutorial that guides a player through step by step. This UI difficulty is paired with the games overall menu system which has a decidedly PC feeling. There are cases of strange pop-up issues and overlays that seem traditional reserved to the wild world of PC gaming. While the gameplay fits perfectly on iOS, the surrounding menus seem to miss the boat.
Frozen Synapse succeeds at bringing a beloved PC game to iOS. It is fiercely faithful in bringing the whole experience to mobile which has its own pros (tons of content, great online experience) and cons (archaic menu system, hard to manage UI). This is a great strategy title which is enjoyable on many levels. There is complexity there if you want it or you can stay on the surface and have a great tactical experience.
The term “4X game” is either scary or foreign to you if you are not a strategy gamer. Even if you are one, like myself, they can still be daunting. With Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy [$6.99 (HD)], Big Daddy’s Creations has attempted to make this genre more accessible. Based on a complex board game of the same name, Eclipse simplifies the the 4X genre by providing guided, limited options and a set game length. That is not to say it is simple, but it has elegant European design; imagine Masters of Orion and Settlers of Catan had a baby.
What is a 4X game you ask? It stands for the four basic actions you can take in this type of game: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate. Examples include Starbase Orion on iOS and Heroes of Might and Magic on PC. In Eclipse you take on the role of one of several alien or human races with the goal of building your empire over 9 rounds. By exploring and claiming sectors of space, researching technologies, and engaging in combat with other players you will earn points which will contribute to your empire’s overall reputation. There are also other actions to take like engaging in diplomacy, building new ships, and upgrading those ships that round out the experience.
It does seem like there is a lot going on (and there is) but Eclipse is focused in its approach. Each round you have a limited number of resources to work with based on planets you have colonized. Materials allow you to build spaceships, fighters, and other constructs. Out of materials? Ok, then those options are gone. Science allows you to research new technology which can help you colonize new sectors of space or outfit your ships. Do you have enough science to research this round? Maybe only once, ok that’s easy to plan out.
Lastly you have money which determines how many actions you can take that round and how many sectors of space you can control. Clearly knowing how much you can do each round keeps you focused. This is the secret sauce that makes Eclipse so palatable as a grand strategy game. Rather than giving you freedom to control every unit you have in play each round, you are funneled into taking whatever actions you can fit in.
Of course, this is not solely an economic game, there is also deep space combat. As you explore the galaxy you may encounter “Ancients” which are a remnant of the former controllers of the galaxy. You also may spar against other players as you attempt to invade their territory. Combat in Eclipse is basically done by a roll of a die, but smartly the designers don’t show you some cheesy dice rolling animation. Instead there is an interesting combat animation as ship goes against ship.
Eclipse also features a very cool ship customization system that is as easy as dragging and dropping. As you research new techs you will get things like bigger guns, better armor, and faster engines. You can upgrade your ships by adding these different techs to what is already on the ship. It has become apparent after playing this game for the past week that ship construction is a key strategy in winning the game.
The sleek UI design given to both upgrading and combat is carried throughout the app. There is a lot of information to process and access, and it could have been a nightmare to access it all. Luckily, this is some of the best UI design I have ever seen. You always have a view of the galaxy at large and can quickly access trays that contain the other information you need to know. For what is at its heart a port of a board game with about a gazillion pieces, Eclipse is designed so well I am not sure you would have known it was based on a board game if I had not told you.
Staying true to the goal of a grand space opera, Eclipse can handle up to 6 players. This can be all human players gathered around your iPad as you pass it around like some sort of deep strategy peace pipe. Of course, finding five friends that can all be together at the same time can be challenging. The game features AI opponents which may be the main way to play the game. They are challenging at each level and play differently to help you perfect your skills.
For example, the peaceful AI will never invade your territory allowing you to learn the game without having to defend yourself. This builds up to the hardest AI which starts with an advanced spaceship and is very aggressive. For the brave at heart there is also asynchronous online play. So far there has always been a healthy crop of opponents from around the world to choose from. The system even allows for private games and features in-game chat. There is even a public chat lobby which has a very early StarCraft vibe. Our forum community has been loving Eclipse since its release as well.
Eclipse is an accessible and polished strategy game that feels at home on iOS. This is not a casual game, but if you have been interested in the 4X genre or strategy gaming in general, this is a great place to dip a toe in. Even with the game's excellent tutorial, it requires some repeated play to really master. If you are ready for a grand space strategy epic, this an amazing specimen on iOS.
In an interview over at Polygon, Minecraft developer Mojang discusses a new service they've got in the works called Minecraft Realms, which is coming to the desktop and Minecraft: Pocket Edition [$6.99 / Free] versions of their popular sandbox game. The aim of Minecraft Realms is to streamline the creation and hosting of worlds for online multiplayer, as well as a reliable system for enabling or disabling mods, and make these tasks simple for non computer savvy folks to do.
Since nearly the very beginning of Minecraft's launch, two of the biggest customer support issues have involved troubles hosting worlds on outside servers and running mods that could possibly conflict with each other and create issues in or break the game. Minecraft Realms should offer a "one click solution" for the people who need assistance with these things. Mojang has been working on an official mod API that they hope to release at some point, and this can be used to create a library of officially supported mods which can be enabled through the Minecraft Realms service with the assurance that it won't cause problems with the game.
The Minecraft Realms service is currently in closed alpha, and should launch in the desktop Minecraft sometime before summer. There will be a monthly fee somewhere between $10 and $15 dollars to use the service, and like the game itself Mojang hopes to frequently add new features to the service and flesh it out over time.
Even more exciting is that Minecraft Realms will be heading to the mobile Pocket Edition too. It'll likely cost less money on mobile, but offer a similar functionality to the desktop version. Mojang is also toying with the idea of having the mobile and desktop versions interact with each other in various ways, which would be incredible, but right now it's a huge technical hurdle. Not out of the question, though.
You can look forward to Minecraft Realms hitting before the summer, so be sure to check out the original interview at Polygon for even more insight into the upcoming service and we'll definitely give you a heads up when the update rolls out to Minecraft: Pocket Edition on mobile.
As we mentioned back in December, Minecraft Pocket Edition [$6.99 / Free] passed the 5 million units sold mark (and that's before including the crazy download numbers from Christmas) and developer Mojang was busy working on an update for release later this month or in early February. A couple of the Mojang team members responsible for the Pocket Edition have taken to Twitter to dish some details about what we might be seeing in this upcoming version 0.5.1 update.
Jens Bergensten, who was a lead designer for Minecraft on desktop and recently jumped over to work more heavily on the Pocket Edition, tweeted yesterday that the sand and gravel blocks in Pocket Edition will soon succumb to the effects of gravity, just like in the desktop version. He also tweeted a picture of clouds which fellow Mojang'er Johan Bernhardsson has added to Minecraft - PE. You can see a screen of those clouds below, but Johan goes on to mention that only newer devices will support the clouds while slower, older devices will remain with a pure blue sky.
Hopping back over to Bergensten's feed, earlier today the developer tweeted a picture of some new blocks that are coming to the mobile Minecraft, which you can see below. If you are a big player of Minecraft on desktop or console then chances are those blocks will look pretty familiar. Below that are a couple of screens showcasing some new block-placingbehaviors which the team is testing out, but will depend on how well they work with the whole touch interface of the game. Finally, Jens says that armor will "probably" be a part of the version 0.5.1 update too.
While the new update stuff certainly sounds cool, what everyone has been asking about since the beginning is when proper caves will come to Pocket Edition. Well, bad news folks, as Jens reveals that generating caves causes too much of a performance drop so they aren't planned for the immediate future. While on the topic of things not coming to Minecraft - PE right away, his twitter feed also reveals that the Enderman won't be appearing on mobile at this time and the online multiplayer that is planned for the Pocket Editionwon't be coming in this next update either.
But hey, I don't want to be a Debbie Downer talking about things not coming to Minecraft - Pocket Edition, because the reality is that the mobile version has grown by leaps and bounds since its initial release and our review back in November of 2011. Having Jens Bergensten working on the mobile edition will I think accelerate its progress a great deal too, as he's even stated that the Pocket Editionneeds to catch up to the desktop version. That gets me excited.
Look for version 0.5.1 to hit in late January or early February, and we'll continue to stalk these poor Mojang employees' Twitter accounts scrounging for information. We'll also keep our eye out for some official announcements regarding Minecraft - Pocket Edition straight from Mojang's website.
In case you haven't noticed, we've really been awaiting the release of Crescent Moon Games' follow-up to their 2009 open-world RPG Ravensword[$2.99] (and so have you, if our anticipated games list is any indication). After years of waiting, including the launch of a new label as well as another excellent RPG, Ravensword: Shadowlands [$6.99] is finally here. Just as the original Ravensword made its mark for bringing a sought-after genre to iOS, Shadowlands demonstrates just how far the genre has come on the platform, making it one of the most ambitious and enjoyable RPGs of the year.
After a magical gambit in the war against the dark elves goes awry, you wake up at a local guild in the city of Aven, wondering how you got there and why you managed to survive. After a few initial quests, you end up at the door of the Archmage, keeper of magical lore and mastermind of the magical spell that nearly killed you. Upon learning of a deeper threat, the Archmage sends you on a quest to recover three Ravenstones, powerful artifacts that will allow you to enter into the Shadowlands and destroy a demon bent on destroying the entire world. In terms of narrative, Ravensword: Shadowlands weaves a tale appropriate for the grandiose scale of the game. While it probably won't be winning any awards for originality, I was satisfied with the game's lore which was apparent in the quests, characters, and books.
One of the developers responsible for working on Minecraft - Pocket Edition [$6.99 / Free], the mobile version of Mojang's open-world block-building phenomenon, took to his Twitter recently to dish some details on Pocket Edition, reports Joystiq.
Johan Bernhardsson revealed in a tweet yesterday that 5 million people have purchased the Pocket Edition of Minecraft, a not insignificant number on mobile, and adding that to the crazy numbers of desktop and Xbox 360 players the total number of Minecraft-ians across all platforms is a staggering 17.5 million or more.
Digging a bit further into Johan's timeline, the developer also teases online multiplayer for Minecraft - Pocket Edition, a feature that really defines the full-sized version of the game and one that is really missed on mobile. It sounds like it's probably a ways off though, but he does peg a release window of late January/early February for the next update which won't include multiplayer but will mostly be behind-the-scenes type of stuff and will likely include a few goodies as well.
Recently we reviewed and enjoyed Gameloft's Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour's [$6.99] single player offerings. While the game's campaign continued the trend of offering a pretty great single player experience, there were a few perpetual nagging issues that seemed to hold it back. Of course, like its console brethren, most folks don't play Modern Combat for its story. Rather, they play it for its multiplayer options, which were introduced with Black Pegasus and greatly refined in Fallen Nation. With Zero Hour, Gameloft has again delivered an awesome FPS multiplayer experience on iOS that really can't be beat.
If you've played any iteration of Modern Combat's multiplayer before, the core of Zero Hour's will be very familiar. Players pick from a variety of game types and compete against others, earning cash and credits for kills, assists and completing objectives. Credits are used to purchase weapons, attachments, killstreaks and more, while experience is used towards increasing your rank. Additional features like WiFi only multiplayer, map voting, parties, and custom matches round out the standard fare.
The latest Minecraft - Pocket Edition [$6.99 / Free] update, the one which we first learned about from developer Mojang earlier this month, is now available in the App Store. In version 0.5.0 of Minecraft - PE you now have the ability to create paintings to adorn on the walls of your cave dwelling, or your 1:1 recreation of Uncle Phil's mansion from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, if that's how you roll. You can also now farm mushrooms, despite them being the most disgusting food on the planet (can you tell I don't like mushrooms?).
The ability to build a Nether Reactor has been added, which leads into the game's newest mob: zombie pigmen. Yes, they are exactly what they sound like, humanoid pig people that have been turned into zombies. Awesome. Another new item related to The Nether are Glowstones, which are luminescent blocks that you can create from Glowstone dust. Different than torches, Glowstones can be used as a light source that works underwater, which is pretty cool.
In addition to these additions, this update also tweaks the health in the game, restoring hearts while you're in bed and also giving you more hearts when you eat food. The fog in the game has also been toned down, and noticeably so. The worlds in Minecraft - PE are such a great deal smaller than those of its desktop counterpart that the excessive fog could make the environment around you feel even more confined. This update also fixes a whole slew of bugs, though I've noticed a couple of new ones, like the item descriptions for Paintings and Glowstones being strange placeholder text.
One of the most high-profile and popular games on the entire App Store is Epic and Chair Entertainment's Infinity Blade II [$6.99], the sequel to 2010's gorgeous gesture-based sword fighting RPG. Unsurprisingly, Infinity Blade II was even more gorgeous than the original, and fleshed-out most of the mechanics from the first game to make for an even bigger and better experience.
However, since the iPhone 5 launch last month, and subsequently the new iPod touch devices shipping several weeks later, Infinity Blade II has been one of the games that I've been dying to see updated for the 4-inch screen of those new devices. After all, such a beautiful game deserves to occupy the entire screen.
Today we finally get our wish, as Infinity Blade II is now widescreen compatible. As we've been doing previously, below are some screens comparing the older 3.5-inch screens with the new 4-inch wide screens.
As expected the widescreen view of the actual combat gives you a slightly larger view of the action, but interestingly the cutscene portions that used to run letterboxed on the 3.5-inch screen (probably to let you know that hey, this is a cutscene) now run in full 16:9 on the new devices.
It makes sense, but I've sort of grown used to seeing those black bars drop down, letting me know to just kick back and watch for a moment. Keep in mind I'm not complaining at all about this, as I think it's a more cohesive design decision, but it is kind of interesting that the non-letterboxed cutscenes in the updated version of Infinity Blade II actually show less than on the previous screen size.
Either way it's a welcome update for new device owners, and if you haven't yet jumped in on the Infinity Blade II fun just yet be sure to check out our review as well as the forum thread for everything you'll ever need to know about the game.
Borderlands Legends [$4.99 / $6.99 (HD)] doesn't lean on enough of the series' strengths. Instead, it turns a lot of them on their heads to its detriment.
But even removed from Borderlands the series, it's still an unimaginative, often boring game with spotty controls and iffy mechanics that don't work so well together. In a lot of ways, Legends is kind of a mess.
To rewind, Legends is a top-down strategy game that puts you in control of the original four Vault Hunters across a series of randomized "missions." For the most part, missions are simple bag and tag kind of procedures, each consisting of four claustrophobic arenas that spew monsters and the series' psychopaths at you in a steady stream.
Fights go down in real-time, so you're in charge of directing each of the characters at once. The Hunters also have special abilities, and you're tasked with setting those off at the right time for the best effect. Brick, for example, can berserk and essentially act as a tank, so ideally you want to pop this skill in front of a mob. Mordecai is a sniper that can call in a bird. Ideally, you want to pop this from the back of a fight as often as possible. Pretty simple stuff.
Borderlands Legends [$4.99 / $6.99] hit the New Zealand App Store very early this morning, and we've got our greasy mitts all over this game. Unfortunately, once you get it on your device, all the strange things 2K was doing like revealing the game in a strategy guide starts to make a lot of sense as the game is just not good. The best way to describe it is by likening it to the "GameBoy version" of popular video games, and anyone alive in the 80's should know exactly what I mean.
If not, the trend at the time was to take popular IP, and due to either the limitations of the platform or due to development budget restraints, water it down to the point that the only recognizable elements that remain is the name on the box and the characters used inside the game. That's certainly the case here, as they've removed basically everything we like about Borderlands games in exchange for... Having a game on the App Store with "Borderlands" in the title, I guess.
We'll have a full review of the game up to coincide with the US launch at 11:00 PM Eastern tonight, but it's not looking good. In the meantime, you can join the launch day party in our forums where initial impressions are similarly not positive.
It's crazy to think that in a couple of years we'll be celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Need for Speed series. The games have come a shockingly long way since the original 3DO release in 1994, and while Need For Speed Most Wanted [$6.99] definitely has that highly-iterative EA feel to it, they're getting closer and closer to perfection.
I'd find it hard to believe that anyone reading TouchArcade hasn't played a Need For Speed game, but assuming you're part of that confusing demographic, here's the gist: If the title wasn't a big enough hint, all the racing games in the series hinge around the idea of going really, really fast. That sensation of speed is a cornerstone of any racer, and Need For Speed Most Wanted is no slouch in that department. In fact, I'd say Most Wanted provides the best sensation of speed I've experienced on an iOS device- particularly when played on the wide screen of the iPhone 5.
Like other games in the series, Need For Speed Most Wanted is home to a whole bunch of licensed cars. There's 35 in all and they range from boring starter cars like the Ford Focus moving right on up to exotics like the Bugatti Veyron. The Tesla Roadster is also included, and, amusingly enough, hitting the nitrous doesn't cause flames to come out the back. Joining these licensed cars is a host of licensed music which seems to fit the overall mood of the game quite well. Most Wanted also offers both touch and tilt control options, and though I don't normally prefer them for most games, I found the default tilt option to be far superior to touch in allowing precision and subtlety in movement.
Following on the heels of West Coast Hustle, Miami Vindication and Rio, Gameloft’s latest Gangstar entry, Gangstar Vegas [$6.99] brings the largest environment in the series by virtually recreating everybody’s favorite city of sin, Las Vegas.
